THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

or 

Kpplied  Metaphysicsfor  Beginners 


CHRISTIAN   D.   LARSON 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 


THE 
IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

OR 

APPLIED    METAPHYSICS 
FOR  BEGINNERS 


BY 

CHRISTIAN  D.  LARSON 

Editor  of 
ETERNAL  PROGRESS 

AND 
THE  COSMIC  WORLD 


1909 

THE  PROGRESS  COMPANY 

CHICAGO 


Copyright   1909 

By 
THE     PROGRESS    COMPANY 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    The  Ideal  Made  Real ,..,.., 9 

II.  How  to  Begin:  The  Prime  Essentials. .  22 

III.  The  First  Steps  in  Ideal  Living. .,. . .,. .  41 

IV.  The  First  Thought  in  Ideal  Thinking. .  61 
V.    The  Ideal  and  the  Eeal  Made  One 77 

VI.  The    First     Step    Towards    Complete 

Emancipation  . .,. . 94 

VII.    Paths  to  Perpetual  Increase. 106 

VIII.    Consider  the  Lilies. ., 116 

IX.    Count  It  All  Joy 134 

X.  The  True  Use  of  Kindness  and  Sym- 
pathy . ., , , , — 145 

XI.  Talk  Health,  Happiness  and  Prosperity.160 

XII.  What  Determines  the  Destiny  of  Man.  .170 

XIII.  To  Him  That  Hath  Shall  Be  Given. ...  .177 

XIV.  The  Life  That  is  Worth  Living .187 

XV.  When  All  Things  Become  Possible ...  197 

XVI.  The  Art  of  Getting  What  is  Wanted ...  210 

XVII.    Paths  to  Happiness  221 

XVIII.    Creating  Ideal  Surroundings. 235 

XIX.    Changing  Your  Own  Fate 246 

XX.    BuUding  Your  Own  Ideal  World 255 

3 


FOREWORD. 

The  purpose  of  this  work  is  to  present  practical 
methods  through  which  anyone,  the  beginner  in  par- 
ticular, may  realize  his  ideals,  cause  his  cherished 
dreams  to  come  true,  and  cause  the  visions  of  the 
soul  to  become  tangible  realities  in  every-day  life. 

The  best  minds  now  believe  that  the  ideal  can  be 
made  real;  that  every  lofty  idea  can  be  applied  in 
practical  living,  and  that  all  that  is  beautiful  on  the 
heights  of  existence  can  be  made  permanent  expres- 
sions in  personal  existence.  And  so  popular  is  this 
belief  becoming  that  it  is  rapidly  permeating  the  en- 
tire thought  of  the  world.  Accordingly,  the  demand 
for  instructive  knowledge  on  this  subject,  that  is 
simple  as  well  as  scientific,  is  becoming  almost  uni- 
versal. 

This  book  has  been  written  to  supply  that  demand. 
However,  it  does  not  claim  to  be  complete ;  nor  could 
any  work  on  "The  Ideal  Made  Eeal"  possibly  be 
complete,  because  the  ideal  world  is  limitless  and 
the  process  of  making  real  the  ideal  is  endless.  To 
know  how  to  begin  is  the  principal  secret,  and  he  who 
has  learned  this  secret  may  go  on  further  and  fur- 
ther, forever  and  forever,  until  he  reaches  the  most 
sublime  heights  that  endless  existence  has  in  store. 

5 


No  attempt  has  been  made  to  formulate  the  ideas, 
methods  and  principles  presented,  into  a  definite  sys- 
tem. In  fact,  the  tendency  to  form  a  new  system  of 
thinking  or  a  new  philosophy  of  life,  has  been  pur- 
posely avoided.  Closely  denned  systems  invariably 
become  obstacles  to  advancement,  and  we  are  not 
concerned  with  new  philosophies  of  life.  Our  pur- 
pose is  the  living  of  a  greater  and  a  greater  life,  and 
in  such  a  life  all  philosophies  must  constantly  change. 

In  preparing  the  following  pages,  the  object  has 
been  to  take  the  beginner  out  of  the  limitations  of  the 
old  into  the  boundlessness  of  the  new;  to  emphasize 
the  fact  that  the  possibilities  that  are  latent  in  the 
human  mind  are  nothing  less  than  marvelous,  and 
that  the  way  to  turn  those  possibilities  to  practical 
use  is  sufficiently  simple  for  anyone  to  understand. 
But  no  method  has  been  presented  that  will  not  tend 
to  suggest  new  and  better  methods  as  required  for 
further  advancement.  The  best  ideas  are  those  that 
inspire  new  ideas,  better  ideas,  greater  ideas.  The 
most  perfect  science  of  life  is  that  science  that  gives 
each  individual  the  power  to  create  and  recreate  his 
own  science  as  he  ascends  in  the  scale  of  life. 

Great  souls  are  developed  only  where  minds  are 
left  free  to  employ  the  best  known  methods  according 
to  their  own  understanding  and  insight.  And  it  is 
only  as  the  soul  grows  greater  and  greater  that  the 
ideal  can  be  made  real.  It  is  individuality  and  orig- 
inality that  give  each  person  the  power  to  make  his 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  7 

own  life  as  he  may  wish  it  to  be ;  but  those  two  im- 
portant factors  do  not  flourish  in  definite  systems. 
There  is  no  progress  where  the  soul  is  placed  in  the 
hands  of  methods ;  true  and  continuous  progress  can 
be  promoted  only  where  all  ideas,  all  methods  and 
all  principles  are  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  soul. 

We  have  selected  the  best  ideas  and  the  best  meth- 
ods known  for  making  the  ideal  real,  and  through 
this  work,  will  place  them  in  your  hands.  "We  do  not 
ask  you  to  follow  these  methods ;  we  simply  ask  you 
to  use  them.  You  will  then  find  them  all  to  be  prac- 
tical ;  you  will  find  that  every  one  will  work  and  pro- 
duce the  results  you  desire.  You  will  then,  not  only 
make  real  the  ideal  in  your  present  sphere  of  life, 
but  you  will  also  develop  within  yourself  that  Greater 
Life,  the  power  of  which  has  no  limit,  the  joy  of  which 
has  no  end. 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 
CHAPTER  I. 

THE   IDEAL   MADE   REAL. 

To  have  ideals  is  not  only  simple  but  natural.  It 
is  just  as  natural  for  the  mind  to  enter  the  ideal  as 
it  is  to  live.  In  fact,  the  ideal  is  an  inseparable  part 
of  life ;  but  to  make  the  ideal  real  in  every  part  of 
life  is  a  problem,  the  solution  of  which  appears  to  be 
anything  but  simple.  To  dream  of  the  fair,  the 
high,  the  beautiful,  the  perfect,  the  sublime,  that 
everyone  can  do ;  but  everyone  has  not  learned  how 
to  make  his  dreams  come  true,  nor  realize  in  the 
practical  world  what  he  has  discerned  in  the  trans- 
cendental world.  The  greatest  philosophers  and 
thinkers  in  history,  with  but  few  exceptions,  have 
failed  to  apply  their  lofty  ideas  in  practical  living, 
not  because  they  did  not  wish  to  but  because  they 
had  not  discovered  the  scientific  relationship  exist- 
ing between  the  ideal  world  and  the  real  world.  The 
greatest  thinker  of  the  past  century  confessed 
that  he  did  not  know  how  to  use  in  every  day  life 
the  remarkable  laws  and  principles  that  he  had  dis- 

9 


10  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

covered  in  the  ideal.  He  knew,  however,  that  those 
laws  and  principles  could  be  applied ;  that  the  ideal 
could  be  made  real,  and  he  stated  that  he  positively 
knew  that  others  would  discover  the  law  of  realiza- 
tion, and  that  methods  would  be  found  in  the  near 
future  through  which  any  ideal  could  be  made  real 
in  practical  life;  and  his  prophecy  has  come  true. 
To  understand  the  scientific  relationship  that 
exists  between  the  real  and  the  ideal,  the  mind  must 
have  both  the  power  of  interior  insight  and  the 
power  of  scientific  analysis,  as  well  as  the  power  of 
practical  application;  but  we  do  not  find,  as  a  rule, 
the  prophet  and  the  scientist  in  the  same  mind.  The 
man  who  has  visions  and  the  man  who  can  do  things 
do  not  usually  dwell  in  the  same  personality; 
nevertheless,  this  is  necessary.  And  every  person 
can  develop  both  the  prophet  and  the  scientist  in 
himself.  He  can  develop  the  power  to  see  the  ideal 
and  also  the  power  to  make  the  ideal  real.  The  large 
mind,  the  broad  mind,  the  deep  mind,  the  lofty  mind, 
the  properly  developed  mind  can  see  both  the  outer 
and  the  inner  side  of  things.  Such  a  mind  can  see 
the  ideal  on  high,  and  at  the  same  time  understand 
how  to  make  real,  tangible  and  practical  what  he 
has  seen.  The  seeming  gulf  between  the  ideal  and 
the  real,  between  the  soul's  vision  and  the  power  of 
practical  action  is  being  bridged  in  thousands  of 
minds  to-day,  and  it  is  these  minds  who  are  gaining 
the  power  to  make  themselves  and  their  own  world 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  11 

as  beautiful  as  the  visions  of  the  prophet;  but  the 
ideal  life  and  the  world  beautiful  are  not  for  the 
few  only.  Everybody  should  learn  how  to  find  that 
path  that  leads  from  the  imperfections  of  present 
conditions  to  the  world  of  ideal  conditions— the 
world  of  which  we  have  all  so  frequently  dreamed. 
The  problem  is  what  beginners  are  to  do  with  the 
beautiful  thoughts  and  the  tempting  promises  that 
are  being  scattered  so  widely  at  the  present  time. 
The  average  mind  feels  that  the  idealism  of  modern 
metaphysics  has  a  substantial  basis.  He  feels  in- 
tuitively that  it  is  true,  and  he  discerns  through  the 
perceptions  of  his  own  soul  that  all  these  things  that 
are  claimed  for  applied  metaphysics  are  possible. 
He  inwardly  knows  that  whatever  the  idealist  de- 
clares can  be  done  will  be  done,  but  the  problem  is 
how.  The  demand  for  simple  methods  is  one  of  the 
greatest  demands  at  the  present  time— methods  that 
everyone  can  learn  and  that  will  enable  any  aspir- 
ing soul  to  begin  at  once  to  realize  his  ideals.  -Such 
methods,  however,  are  easily  formulated,  and  will 
be  found  in  abundance  on  the  following  pages. 
These  methods  are  based  upon  eternal  laws;  they 
are  as  simple  as  the  multiplication  table  and  will 
produce  results  with  the  same  unerring  precision. 
Any  person  with  a  reasonable  amount  of  intelligence 
can  apply  them,  and  those  who  have  an  abundance 
of  perseverance  can,  through  these  methods,  make 
real  practically  all  the  ideals  that  they  may  have 


12  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

at  the  present  time.  Those  who  are  more  highly 
developed  will  find  in  these  methods  the  secret 
through  which  their  attainments  and  achievements 
will  constantly  verge  on  the  horderland  of  the  mar- 
velous. In  fact,  when  the  simple  law  that  unites  the 
ideal  and  the  real  is  understood  and  applied,  it  mat- 
ters not  how  lofty  our  minds  and  our  visions  may 
be  we  can  make  them  all  come  true. 

To  proceed,  the  principal  obstacle  must  first  be 
removed,  and  this  obstacle  is  the  tendency  to  lose 
faith  whenever  we  fail  to  make  real  the  ideal  the 
very  moment  we  expect  to  do  so.  This  tendency  is 
present  to  some  degree  in  nearly  every  mind  that 
is  working  for  greater  things,  and  it  postpones  the 
day  of  realization  whenever  it  is  permitted  to  ex- 
ercise its  power  of  retrogression.  Many  a  person 
has  fallen  into  chronic  despondency  after  having 
had  a  glimpse  of  the  ideal,  because  it  was  so  very 
beautiful,  so  very  desirable,  in  fact,  the  only  one 
thing  that  could  satisfy,  and  yet  seemingly  so  far 
away  and  so  impossible  to  reach.  But  here  is  a  place 
where  we  must  exercise  extraordinary  faith.  We 
must  never  recognize  the  gulf  that  seems  to  exist 
between  our  present  state  and  the  state  we  desire 
to  reach.  On  the  other  hand,  we  must  continue  in 
the  conviction  that  the  gulf  is  only  seeming  and  that 
we  positively  shall  reach  the  ideal  that  appears  in 
the  splendors  of  what  seems  to  be  a  distant  future, 
although  what  actually  is  very  near  at  hand. 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  13 

Those  who  have  more  faith  and  more  determina- 
tion do  not,  as  a  rule,  fall  down  when  they  meet  this 
seeming  gulf;  they  inwardly  know  that  every  ideal 
will  some  time  be  realized.  It  conld  not  be  other- 
wise, because  what  we  see  in  the  distance  is  in- 
variably something  that  lies  in  the  pathway  of  our 
own  eternal  progress,  and  if  we  continue  to  move 
forward  we  must  inevitably  reach  it.  But  even  to 
these  the  ideal  does  at  times  appear  to  be  very  far 
away,  and  the  time  of  waiting  seems  very  long. 
They  are  frequently  on  the  verge  of  giving  up  and 
fears  arise  at  intervals  that  many  unpleasant  ex- 
periences may,  after  all,  be  met  before  the  great  day 
of  realization  is  gained;  however,  we  cannot  afford 
to  entertain  such  fears  for  a  moment  nor  to  think 
that  anything  unpleasant  can  transpire  during  the 
period  of  transition;  that  is,  the  passing  from  the 
imperfections  of  present  conditions  to  the  joys  and 
delights  of  an  ideal  life.  We  must  remember  that 
fear  and  despondency  invariably  retard  our  pro- 
gress, no  matter  what  our  object  in  view  may  be,  and 
that  discouragement  is  very  liable  to  cause  a  break 
in  the  engine  that  is  to  take  our  train  to  the  fair 
city  we  so  long  have  desired  to  reach. 

The  time  of  waiting  may  seem  long  during  such 
moments  as  come  when  the  mind  is  down,  but  so 
long  as  the  mind  is  on  the  heights  the  waiting  time 
disappears,  and  the  pleasure  of  pursuit  comes  to 
take  its  place.  In  this  connection  we  should  remem- 


14  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

her  that  the  more  frequently  we  permit  the  mind 
to  fall  down  into  fears  and  doubts  the  longer  we 
shall  have  to  wait  for  the  realization  of  the  ideal ;  and 
the  more  we  live  in  the  upper  story  of  life  the  sooner 
we  shall  reach  the  goal  in  view.  There  are  many 
who  give  up  temporarily  all  efforts  toward  reaching 
their  ideals,  thinking  it  is  impossible  and  that  noth- 
ing is  gained  by  trying,  but  such  minds  should  real- 
ize that  they  are  simply  making  their  future  pro- 
gress more  difficult  by  retarding  their  present  pro- 
gress. Such  minds  should  realize  the  great  fact 
that  every  ideal  can  be  made  real,  because  nothing 
is  impossible. 

To  reach  any  desired  goal  the  doing  of  certain 
things  is  necessary,  but  if  those  things  are  not  done 
now  they  will  have  to  be  done  later ;  besides,  when 
we  give  up  in  the  present  we  always  make  the  ob- 
stacles in  our  way  much  greater  than  they  were  be- 
fore. Those  things  that  are  necessary  to  promote 
our  progress  become  more  difficult  to  do  the  longer 
we  remain  in  what  may  be  termed  the  "giving  up" 
attitude,  and  the  reason  why  is  found  in  the  fact 
that  the  mind  that  gives  up  becomes  smaller  and 
smaller ;  it  loses  ability,  capacity  and  power  and  be- 
comes less  and  less  competent  to  cope  with  the  prob- 
lems at  hand.  Whenever  we  give  up  we  invariably 
fall  down  into  a  smaller  mental  state.  When  we 
cease  to  move  forwards  we  begin  to  move  backwards. 
We  retard  progression  only  when  we  cease  to  pro- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  15 

mote  progression.  On  the  other  hand,  so  long  as 
we  continue  to  pursue  the  ideal  we  ascend  into 
larger  and  larger  mental  states,  and  thus  increase 
our  power  to  make  real  the  ideals  that  are  before 
us.  The  belief  that  it  is  impossible  to  make  real  the 
ideal  has  no  foundation  whatever  in  truth.  It  is 
simply  an  illusion  produced  by  fear  and  has  no  place 
in  the  exact  science  of  life.  When  you  discern  an 
ideal  you  discover  something  that  lies  in  your  own 
onward  path.  Move  forward  and  you  simply  cannot 
fail  to  reach  it;  but  when  you  are  to  reach  the 
coveted  goal  depends  upon  how  rapidly  you  are  mov- 
ing now.  Knowing  this,  and  knowing  that  fear, 
doubt,  discouragement  and  indifference  invariably 
retard  this  forward  movement,  we  shall  find  it  most 
profitable  to  remove  those  mental  states  absolutely. 
The  true  attitude  is  the  attitude  of  positive  con- 
viction ;  that  is,  to  live  in  the  strong  conviction  that 
whatever  we  see  before  us  in  the  ideal  will  positively 
be  realized,  sooner  or  later,  if  we  only  move  for- 
ward, and  we  can  make  it  sooner  if  we  will  move 
forward  steadily,  surely  and  rapidly  during  every 
moment  of  the  great  eternal  now.  To  move  for- 
ward steadily  during  the  great  eternal  now  is  to 
realize  now  as  much  of  the  ideal  as  we  care  to  ap- 
propriate now;  no  waiting  therefore  is  necessary. 
To  begin  to  move  forward  is  to  begin  to  make 
real  the  ideal,  and  we  will  realize  in  the  now  as  much 
of  the  ideal  as  is  necessary  to  make  the  now  full  and 


16  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

complete.  To  move  forward  steadily  during  the 
great  eternal  now  is  to  eternally  become  more  than 
you  are ;  and  to  become  more  than  you  are  is  to  make 
yourself  more  and  more  like  your  ideal ;  and  here  is 
the  great  secret,  because  the  principle  is  that  you 
will  realize  your  ideal  when  you  become  exactly  like 
your  ideal,  and  that  you  will  realize  as  much  of  your 
ideal  now  as  you  develop  in  yourself  now.  The  ma- 
jority, however,  feel  that  they  can  never  become 
as  perfect  as  their  ideal ;  others,  however,  think  that 
they  can,  and  that  they  will  sometime,  but  that  it 
will  require  ages,  and  they  dwell  constantly  upon 
the  unpleasant  belief  that  they  may  in  the  mean- 
time have  to  pass  through  years  and  years  of  ordi- 
nary and  undesirable  experience;  but  they  are  mis- 
taken, and  besides,  are  retarding  their  own  progress 
every  moment  by  entertaining  such  thoughts. 

If  all  the  time  and  all  the  energy  that  is  wasted 
in  longing  and  longing,  yearning  and  yearning  were 
employed  in  scientific,  practical  self-development, 
the  average  person  would  in  a  short  time  become 
as  perfect  as  his  ideal.  He  would  thus  realize  his 
ideal,  because  we  attract  from  the  without  What  cor- 
responds exactly  to  what  is  active  in  our  own  within. 
When  we  attain  the  ideal  and  the  beautiful  in  our 
own  natures,  we  shall  meet  the  ideal  and  the  beauti- 
ful wherever  we  may  go  in  the  world,  and  we  will 
find  the  same  things  in  the  real  that  we  dreamed 
of  in  the  ideal.  When  we  see  an  ideal  we  usually 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  17 

begin  to  long  for  it  and  hope  that  something  remark- 
able may  happen  so  as  to  bring  it  into  our  posses- 
sion, and  we  thus  continue  to  long  and  yearn  and 
wait  with  periods  of  despondency  intervening.  We 
simply  use  up  time  and  energy  to  no  avail.  When 
we  see  an  ideal  the  proper  course  to  pursue  is  to 
begin  at  once  to  develop  that  ideal  in  our  own  nature. 
We  should  never  stop  to  wait  and  see  whether  it  is 
coming  true  or  not,  and  we  should  never  stop  to 
figure  how  much  time  it  may  require  to  reach  our 
goal.  The  secret  is,  begin  now  to  be  like  your  ideals, 
and  at  the  proper  time  that  ideal  will  be  made  real. 
The  very  moment  you  begin  to  rebuild  yourself 
in  the  exact  likeness  of  your  ideal  you  will  begin 
to  realize  your  ideal,  because  we  invariably  gain 
possession  of  that  of  which  we  become  conscious; 
and  to  begin  to  develop  the  ideal  in  ourselves  is  to 
begin  to  become  conscious  of  the  ideal.  To  give 
thought  to  time  is  to  stop  and  measure  time  in  con- 
sciousness, and  every  stop  in  consciousness  means 
retarded  progress.  Real  progress  is  eternal;  it  is 
a  forward  movement  that  is  continuous  now,  and  in 
the  realization  of  such  a  progress  no  thought  is  ever 
given  to  time.  To  live  in  the  life  of  eternal  progress 
is  to  gain  ground  every  moment.  It  means  the  per- 
petual increase  of  everything  that  has  value,  great- 
ness and  worth,  and  the  mind  that  lives  in  such  a 
life  cannot  possibly  be  discouraged  or  dissatisfied. 
Such  a  mind  will  not  only  live  in  the  perpetual  in- 


18  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

crease  of  everything  that  heart  can  wish  for,  but 
will  also  realize  perpetually  the  greatest  joy  of  all 
joys,  the  joy  of  going  on.  The  discouraged  mind 
is  the  mind  that  lives  in  the  emptiness  of  life,  but 
there  can  be  no  emptiness  in  that  life  that  lives  in 
the  perpetual  increase  of  all  that  is  good  and  beauti- 
ful and  ideal. 

The  only  time  that  seems  long  is  the  time  that  is 
not  well  employed  in  continuous  attainment,  and 
the  only  waiting  time,  that  seems  the  hardest  time  of 
all,  is  the  time  that  is  not  fully  consecrated  to  the 
highest  purpose  you  have  in  view.  When  we  under- 
stand that  we  all  may  have  different  ideals  we  will 
find  that  we  have  an  undeveloped  correspondent  in 
ourselves  to  every  ideal  that  we  may  discern,  and  if 
we  proceed  to  develop  these  corresponding  parts 
there  will  be  some  ideals  realized  every  day.  To- 
day we  may  succeed  in  making  real  an  ideal  that  we 
first  discovered  a  year  ago.  To-morrow  we  may 
reach  a  goal  towards  which  we  have  been  moving 
for  years,  and  in  a  few  days  we  may  realize  ideals 
that  we  have  had  in  view  during  periods  of  time 
varying  from  a  few  weeks  to  several  years ;  and  if 
we  are  applying  the  principles  that  underlie  the 
process  of  making  real  the  ideal,  we  may  at  any 
time  realize  ideals  of  which  we  have  dreamed  for  a 
life  time.  Consequently,  when  we  approach  this 
subject  properly  we  shall  daily  come  into  the  pos- 
session of  something  that  is  our  own.  All  the  beauti- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  19 

ful  things  of  which  we  have  dreamed  will  be  coming 
into  our  world  and  there  will  be  new  arrivals  every 
day. 

This  is  the  life  of  the  real  idealist,  and  we  cannot 
picture  a  life  that  is  more  complete  and  more  satis- 
fying ;  but  it  is  not  only  complete  in  the  present.  It 
is  constantly  growing  larger  and  more  desirable, 
thus  giving  us  daily  a  higher  degree  of  satisfaction 
and  joy.  When  we  discern  an  ideal  that  ideal  has 
come  within  the  circle  of  our  own  capacity  for  de- 
velopment, and  the  power  to  develop  that  ideal  in 
ourselves  is  therefore  at  hand.  The  mind  never 
discerns  those  ideals  that  are  beyond  the  possibility 
of  present  development.  Thus  we  realize  that  when 
an  ideal  is  discerned  it  is  proof  positive  that  we 
have  the  power  to  make  it  real  now. 

Those  who  have  not  found  their  ideals  in  any 
shape  or  form  whatever  have  simply  neglected  to 
make  their  own  ideal  nature  strong,  positive  and 
pronounced.  To  live  in  negative  idealism  is  to  con- 
tinue to  dream  on  without  seeing  a  single  dream 
come  true;  but  when  the  ideals  we  discern  in  our 
own  natures  become  strong,  positive  working- 
forces  our  dreams  will  soon  come  true;  our  ideals 
will  be  realized  one  after  the  other  until  life  becomes 
what  it  is  intended  to  be,  a  perpetual  ascension  into 
all  that  is  rich,  beautiful  and  sublime. 

Whether  we  speak  of  environments,  attainments, 
achievements,  possessions,  circumstances,  opportuni- 


20  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

ties,  friends,  companions  or  the  scores  of  things  that 
belong  in  our  world,  the  law  is  the  same.  We  receive 
an  ideal  only  when  we  become  just  like  that  ideal.  If 
we  seek  better  friends,  we  shall  surely  find  them  and 
retain  them,  if  we  develop  higher  and  higher  degrees 
of  friendship.  If  we  wish  to  associate  with  refined 
people,  we  must  become  more  refined  in  action, 
thought  and  speech.  If  we  wish  to  reach  our  ideals 
in  the  world  of  achievement,  we  must  develop 
greater  ability,  capacity  and  power.  If  we  desire 
better  environments,  we  must  not  only  learn  to  ap- 
preciate the  beautiful,  but  must  also  develop  the 
power  to  produce  those  things  that  have  true  quality, 
high  worth  and  real  superiority.  The  great  secret 
is  to  become  more  useful  in  the  world ;  that  is,  useful 
in  the  largest  and  highest  sense  of  that  term.  He 
who  gives  his  best  to  the  world  will  receive  the  best 
in  return. 

The  world  needs  able  men  and  women ;  people  who 
can  do  things  that  are  thoroughly  worth  while ;  peo- 
ple who  can  think  great  thoughts  and  transform 
such  thoughts  into  great  deeds;  and  to  secure  such 
men  and  women  the  world  will  give  anything  that 
it  may  hold  in  its  possession.  To  make  real  the 
ideal,  proceed  to  develop  greatness,  superiority  and 
high  worth  in  yourself.  Train  the  mind  to  dwell 
constantly  upon  the  borderland  of  the  highest  ideals 
that  you  can  possibly  picture;  but  do  not  simply 
yearn  for  what  you  can  see,  and  do  not  covet  what 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  21 

has  not  yet  become  your  own.  Proceed  to  remake 
yourself  into  the  likeness  of  that  ideal  and  it  will 
become  your  own.  To  proceed  with  this  great 
development,  the  whole  of  life  must  be  changed  to 
conform  with  the  exact  science  of  life;  that  is, 
that  science  that  is  based  upon  the  physical  and  the 
metaphysical  united  as  the  one  expression  of  all  that 
is  great  and  sublime  in  the  soul.  The  new  way  of 
thinking  about  things,  viewing  things  and  doing 
things  must  be  adopted  in  full,  and  this  new  way 
is  based  upon  the  principle  that  the  ideal  actually 
is  real,  and  therefore  should  be  approached  not  as  a 
future  possibility,  but  as  a  present  actuality.  Think 
of  the  ideal  as  if  it  were  real  and  you  will  find  it  to 
be  real.  Meet  all  things  as  if  they  contained  the 
ideal,  and  you  will  find  that  all  things  will  present 
their  ideals  to  you,  not  simply  as  mere  pictures,  but 
as  realities.  View  the  whole  of  life  from  the  heights 
of  existence;  then  you  will  see  things  as  they  are 
and  deal  with  things  accordingly;  you  will  see  that 
side  of  the  whole  of  existence  that  may  be  termed 
the  better  side,  and  in  consequence,  you  will  grow 
into  the  likeness  of  that  better  side.  When  you  grow 
into  the  likeness  of  the  better  side  of  all  things,  you 
will  attract  the  better  side  of  all  things,  and  the  ideal 
in  everything  in  the  world  will  be  made  real  in  your 
world. 


CHAPTEE  II. 

HOW  TO  BEGIN  :  THE  PBIME  ESSENTIALS. 

To  formulate  rules  in  detail  that  will  apply  to  each 
individual  case  is  neither  possible  nor  necessary. 
All  have  not  the  same  present  needs  nor  the  same 
previous  training;  but  there  are  certain  general 
principles  that  apply  to  all,  and  these,  if  followed 
according  to  the  individual  view-point,  will  produce 
the  results  desired.  If  the  proper  beginning  is 
made,  the  subsequent  results  will  not  only  be  greater 
and  be  realized  in  less  time,  but  much  useless  ex- 
perience and  delay  will  be  avoided.  These  princi- 
ples, or  prime  essentials,  are  as  follows : 

1.  Learn  to  be  still.  When  you  undertake  to  live 
an  ideal  life  and  seek  to  promote  your  advancement 
in  every  direction,  you  will  find  that  much  cannot 
be  gained  until  your  entire  being  is  placed  in  a 
proper  condition  for  growth;  the  reason  being  that 
the  ideal  is  ever  advancing  toward  higher  ideals, 
and  you  must  improve  yourself  before  you  can  bet- 
ter your  life.  It  has  been  found  that  all  laws  of 
growth  require  order,  harmony  and  stillness  for 
proper  action;  therefore,  to  live  peacefully,  think 
peacefully,  act  peacefully  and  speak  peacefully  are 

22 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  23 

important  essentials.  This  will  not  only  put  the 
entire  being  into  proper  condition  for  growth,  but 
will  also  conserve  energy,  and  when  you  begin  to  live 
the  larger  life  you  will  want  to  use  properly  all 
your  forces;  neither  misusing  or  wasting  anything. 
To  acquire  stillness  never  "try  hard,"  but  simply 
exercise  general  self-control  in  everything  you  do. 
Never  be  anxious  about  results,  and  they  will  come 
with  less  effort,  and  in  less  time.  Whenever  you 
have  a  moment  to  spare  relax  the  whole  person,  mind 
and  body;  just  let  everything  fall  into  the  easiest 
position  possible.  Make  no  effort  to  relax,  simply 
let  go.  So  long  as  you  try  to  relax  you  will  not  suc- 
ceed. While  in  this  relaxed  condition  be  quiet;  do 
not  move  a  muscle;  breathe  deeply  but  gently,  and 
think  only  of  peace  and  stillness.  Before  you  go 
to  sleep  at  night  relax  your  entire  system,  and  fall 
asleep  with  peace  in  your  mind;  bathe  your  mind 
and  body,  so  to  speak,  in  the  crystal  sea  of  the  beau- 
tiful calm.  These  methods  alone  will  work  wonders 
in  a  few  weeks.  While  you  are  at  work  hold  your- 
self from  anxious  hurry  or  disturbed  action;  work 
in  the  attitude  of  poise  and  you  will  accomplish  much 
more  in  the  same  given  time  and  you  will  be  a  far 
better  workman.  Train  yourself  to  come  into  the 
realization  of  perfect  peace  by  gently  holding  a  deep 
strong  desire  for  peace  and  by  ordering  all  your  ac- 
tions to  harmonize  with  the  peaceful  goal  in  view. 
The  result  will  be  "the  peace  that  passeth  under- 


24  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

standing,"  and  for  this  alone  your  gratitude  will 
be  both  boundless  and  endless. 

2.  Rejoice  and  be  glad.  Cheerfulness  is  not  only 
a  good  medicine,  but  it  is  food  for  mind  and  body. 
The  cheerful  life  will  fill  every  atom  with  new  life, 
and  it  is  to  the  faculties  of  the  mind  what  sunshine 
is  to  the  flowers  and  trees.  To  be  happy  always  is 
one  of  the  greatest  things  that  man  can  do,  and 
there  are  few  things  that  are  more  profitable  in 
every  sense  of  that  term.  No  matter  what  comes, 
be  glad;  and  live  in  the  conviction  that  all  things 
are  working  together  for  good  to  you.  As  your  con- 
viction is  so  is  your  faith ;  and  as  your  faith  is  so  it 
shall  be  unto  you.  When  you  live  in  the  conviction 
that  all  things  are  working  together  for  good  you 
will  cause  all  things  to  work  together  for  good,  and 
you  will  understand  the  reason  why  when  you  begin 
to  apply  the  real  science  of  ideal  living.  No  matter 
how  dark  the  cloud,  look  for  the  silver  lining;  it  is 
there,  and  when  you  always  look  at  the  bright  side 
of  things  you  develop  brightness  in  yourself.  This 
brightness  will  strengthen  all  your  faculties  so  that 
you  can  easily  overcome  what  obstacles  may  be  in 
your  way,  and  thus  gain  the  victory  desired.  Direct 
your  attention  constantly  to  the  bright  side  of 
things ;  refuse1  absolutely  to  consider  any  other  side. 
At  first  this  may  not  be  possible  in  the  absolute 
sense,  but  perseverance  never  fails  to  win.  How- 
ever, do  not  try  hard;  gently  direct  your  attention 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  25 

to  the  bright  side  and  know  that  you  can.  Ere  long 
it  will  be  second  nature  for  you  to  live  on  the  sunny 
side.  The  value  of  this  attainment  is  very  great; 
first,  because  joyousness  will  increase  life,  power, 
energy  and  force;  this  we  all  know  from  personal 
experience,  and  we  wish  to  have  all  the  life  and 
power  that  we  can  possibly  secure;  second,  because 
the  happiest  soul  never  worries,  which  is  great  gain. 
Worry  has  crippled  thousands  of  fine  minds  and 
brought  millions  to  an  early  grave.  We  simply  can- 
not afford  to  worry  and  must  never  do  so  under  any 
condition  whatever.  If  we  have  that  habit  we  can 
remove  it  at  once  by  the  proper  antidote,  which  is 
joyousness.  After  you  have  trained  yourself  to  look 
only  for  the  bright  and  the  best,  the  bright  and  the 
best  will  come  to  you,  because  you  will  be  using  your 
powers  to  bring  those  very  things  to  pass;  there- 
fore, rejoice  and  be  glad  every  moment.  Let  your 
heart  and  your  soul  sing  at  all  times.  When  you 
do  not  feel  the  joyous  music  within,  produce  it  with 
your  own  imagination,  and  ere  long  it  will  come  of 
itself  with  greater  and  greater  abundance;  your 
soul  will  want  to  sing  because  it  feels  music,  and 
there  are  few  joys  that  equal  the  joy  that  comes 
when  music  is  felt  in  the  soul.  There  are  so  many 
things  that  are  sweet  and  beautiful  in  life  that  when 
we  once  find  the  key  to  harmony  we  shall  always 
rejoice.  In  the  meantime,  be  happy  for  the  good 
you  have  found,  and  through  that  very  attitude  you 


26  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

will  develop  the  power  to  attract  better  things  than 
you  ever  had  before.  This  personal  existence  is 
brimful  of  good  things  and  happy  souls  will  find 
them  all. 

3.  Love  everybody  and  be  kind.  If  you  wish 
your  path  to  be  strewn  with  roses,  just  be  kind. 
Give  your  best  to  the  world,  and  the  best  will  come 
to  you  without  fail ;  if  it  does  not  come  to-day,  never 
mind;  just  go  on  being  kind  and  refuse  to  consider 
disappointments.  Never  hold  in  mind  those  things 
that  you  do  not  wish  to  retain ;  you  thus  cause  those 
things  to  pass  away.  This  "shall  also  pass  away'* 
is  true  of  everything  that  is  not  pleasant;  but  un- 
pleasant things  will  not  pass  away  so  long  as  we 
hold  them  in  thought.  That  which  you  let  go  from 
your  mind  will  pass  away  from  you  entirely.  Train 
yourself  to  be  kindness  in  a  permanent  state  of 
mind,  because  you  cannot  afford  to  criticise,  con- 
demn or  be  angry  at  any  tune.  We  know  that  anger 
not  only  disturbs  the  mind,  but  also  destroys  the 
cells  of  the  body,  and  no  one  can  be  angry  without 
losing  a  great  deal  of  life  and  energy.  To  find  fault 
never  pays;  it  simply  brings  enmity,  discord  and 
criticisms;  besides,  the  faults  we  constantly  see  in 
others  will  develop  in  ourselves.  The  critical  mind 
is  destructive  and  the  critical  attitude  is  weaken- 
ing to  the  entire  system;  therefore,  no  one  can  be 
his  best  who  permits  himself  to  think  -or  talk  about 
the  flaws  of  life.  Be  good  and  kind  to  everybody; 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  27 

it  is  one  of  the  royal  paths  to  happiness  and  peace. 
When  anyone  does  wrong,  do  not  condemn;  help 
him  out;  help  him  find  the  better  way.  "Cast  your 
bread  upon  the  waters;"  it  will  surely  return;  some- 
times more  quickly  than  you  expect  it.  Therefore, 
give  abundantly  of  all  that  is  best  in  your  life,  and 
nothing  is  better  than  kindness  and  love.  When 
you  begin  to  live  an  ideal  life  you  will  desire  more 
and  more  to  live  the  largest  life  possible,  and  to 
accomplish  this  you  must  learn  to  be  much  to  every- 
body. Your  purpose  must  be  to  be  useful  in  the 
largest  and  truest  sense  of  that  term;  and  nothing 
can  promote  this  purpose  so  thoroughly  and  so  ex- 
tensively as  universal  kindness.  This  does  not  im- 
ply, however,  that  you  are  to  permit  yourself  to  be 
imposed  upon  or  unjustly  used  by  the  unscrupulous. 
It  is  our  duty,  as  well  as  our  privilege  to  demand 
the  right  at  all  times,  and  to  demand  justice  for 
everybody  and  from  everybody,  but  this  should  be 
done  in  kindness,  with  the  antagonistic  attitude 
eliminated.  The  love  that  loves  everybody  is  not  the 
love  that  seeks  to  gain  personal  possession  of  some 
object  of  affection.  We  refer  to  that  larger  kind- 
ness that  excludes  no  one  from  our  whole  souled 
good  wishes.  This  form  of  love  is  the  greatest 
power  in  the  world,  and  the  one  who  loves  the  most 
in  this  larger,  truer  sense  will  accomplish  the  most. 
The  reason  why  is  found  in  the  fact  that  a  great 
love  invariably  brings  out  all  that  is  large,  great 


28  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

and  extraordinary  in  human  nature.  To  state  that 
the  one  who  takes  the  greatest  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  world  does  the  most  to  promote  his  own 
interests  may  seem  to  be  a  contradiction  of  terms; 
but  it  is  true,  and  it  proves  conclusively  that  the  one 
who  gives  his  best  to  the  world  will  invariably  re- 
ceive the  best  in  return.  Never  permit  yourself  to 
say  that  you  cannot  love  every  creature  that  lives; 
say  that  you  do  love  everything  that  lives,  and 
mean  it.  What  you  say  you  are  doing  that  you  will 
find  yourself  doing.  This  greater  love  illumines 
the  mind,  gives  new  life  to  every  fibre  in  your  being, 
removes  almost  every  burden  and  eases  the  whole 
path  of  existence.  Love  removes  entirely  all  anger, 
hatred,  revenge,  ill-will,  and  similar  states,  a  mat- 
ter of  great  importance,  for  no  one  can  live  an  ideal 
life  while  such  states  of  mind  remain.  To  have  a 
sweet  temper  and  loving  disposition  and  a  kind 
heart  is  worth  more  than  tons  of  gold.  We  are  all 
finding  this  to  be  true,  and  we  realize  fully  that  the 
person  who  loves  everybody  with  that  larger  loving 
kindness  has  taken  a  long  step  upward  into  that 
life  that  is  real  life.  This  is  not  mere  sentiment, 
but  the  expression  of  an  exact  scientific  fact.  A 
strong,  continuous  love  will  bring  all  good  to  any 
one  who  lives  and  acts  as  he  inwardly  feels. 

4.  Have  faith  in  abundance.  Have  faith  in  God; 
have  faith  in  man;  have  faith  in  yourself;  have 
faith  in  faith.  Believe  in  everything,  and  you  relate 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  29 

yourself  to  the  best  that  is  in  everything.  We  all 
know  the  value  of  self-confidence,  but  faith  is  in- 
finitely deeper,  larger  and  higher.  Self-confidence 
helps  us  to  believe  in  ourselves,  as  we  are  at  pres- 
ent, and  thus  helps  us  to  make  a  better  use  of  the 
talents  we  now  possess ;  but  faith  elevates  the  mind 
into  the  consciousness  of  our  larger  and  superior 
possibilities,  and  thus  increases  perpetually  the 
power,  the  capacity  and  the  efficiency  of  the  talents 
we  now  possess.  Faith  brings  out  the  best  that  is 
within  us  and  puts  that  best  to  work  now.  He.  who 
follows  faith  may  frequently  go  out  upon  the  seem- 
ing void,  but  he  always  finds  the  solid  rock.  The 
reason  is  that  faith  has  superior  vision  and  goes 
instinctively  to  the  very  thing  we  desire  to  find. 
Faith  does  not  expect  things  to  come  of  themselves. 
Faith  never  stands  and  waits;  it  does  things;  but 
while  at  work  believes  that  the  goal  will  be  reached 
and  the  undertaking  accomplished.  The  person  who 
works  in  the  attitude  of  faith  can  never  fail ;  because 
through  faith  he  draws  upon  the  inexhaustible.  The 
person  who  works  in  the  attitude  of  doubt  can  never 
be  at  his  best.  Through  the  feeling  of  doubt  he 
lowers  his  own  ability ;  he  holds  back  his  best  power 
and  employs  but  a  portion  of  his  capacity;  but  the 
one  who  works  in  faith  will  press  on  to  the  very 
limit  of  his  present  capacity  and  then  go  on  further 
still,  because  the  more  faith  he  has  the  more  fully 
he  realizes  that  there  is  no  limit  to  his  capacity,  that 


30  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

the  seeming  void  that  lies  before  is  positively  solid 
rock  all  the  way  and  he  may  safely  proceed.  What- 
ever you  do  believe  that  you  can  succeed  in;  do  not 
for  a  moment  permit  yourself  to  doubt;  know  that 
the  Infinite  is  your  source,  that  you  live  in  the  uni- 
versal and  have  the  boundless  upon  which  to  draw 
for  supply.  If  people  or  things  do  not  come  up  to 
your  ideal  never  mind;  give  them  time;  continue 
to  have  faith  in  their  better  selves;  they  will  also 
scale  the  heights.  Expect  them  all  to  do  their  best, 
and  most  of  them  will  do  so  now;  the  others  will 
soon  follow,  if  you  live  in  the  faith  that  they  will. 
The  unbounded  faith  of  one  soul  can  elevate  the 
lives  of  thousands.  This  is  a  statement  that  is  just 
as  true  as  it  is  great,  and  we  should  constantly  give 
it  the  highest  place  in  mind.  The  man  who  has  faith 
in  the  whole  race  is  an  inspiration  to  everybody. 
Many  a  person  has  risen  rapidly  in  the  scale  be- 
cause some  one  had  faith  in  him.  Faith  is  the  great- 
est elevating  power  that  we  know  in  the  world. 
Faith  can  convert  any  failure  into  success  and  can 
promote  the  advancement  of  everybody,  no  matter 
what  the  circumstances  may  be.  Have  faith  in  your- 
self and  you  will  advance  as  you  never  advanced 
before.  Have  faith  in  others  and  they  will  inevitably 
follow.  Have  faith  in  the  Infinite  and  the  Supreme 
Power  will  always  be  with  you.  This  power  will 
see  you  through,  whatever  your  goal  may  be.  There- 
fore, if  you  would  enter  the  new  life,  the  better  life, 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  31 

the  ideal  life,  and  inspire  others  to  do  the  same,  have 
faith  in  abundance. 

5.  Pray  without  ceasing.  The  true  prayer  is  the 
whole-souled  desire  for  the  larger,  the  higher  and 
the  better  while  the  mind  is  stayed  upon  the  Most 
High;  and  to  pray  without  ceasing  is  to  constantly 
live  in  that  lofty  desire.  The  forces  of  mind  and 
body  always  follow  our  desires;  therefore,  if  we 
would  use  our  powers  in  building  up  a  larger  life 
we  must  have  high  desires  and  true  desires.  Turn 
your  desires  upward  and  keep  them  there;  desire 
the  greater  things  only ;  never  desire  anything  less. 
Those  powers  within  you  will  cause  you  to  become 
as  true,  as  great  and  as  perfect  as  your  heart  has 
prayed  that  you  might  become.  To  cause  our  de- 
sires, thoughts  and  states  of  consciousness  to  rise 
to  the  very  highest  states  of  being,  we  should  em- 
ploy the  silence  daily;  that  is,  we  should  enter  into 
the  absolute  stillness  of  the  secret  life  of  the  soul. 
Through  the  silence  we  shall  find  the  secret  of 
secrets,  the  path  to  that  inner  world  from  which 
everything  proceeds.  To  begin,  be  alone  and  com- 
fortably seated.  Or,  you  may  enter  the  silence  in 
association  with  someone  that  is  in  perfect  har- 
mony with  yourself.  Relax  mind  and  body;  close 
your  eyes  and  be  perfectly  quiet;  turn  your  atten- 
tion upon  the  inner  life  of  the  soul  and  gently  hold 
your  mind  upon  the  thoughts  of  stillness  and  peace. 
Affirm  with  deep,  quiet  feeling,  "Peace  is  mine." 


32  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

"I  am  resting  in  the  stillness  of  the  spirit."  "I 
have  entered  the  beautiful  calm."  "I  am  one  with 
the  Infinite."  "I  am  in  the  kingdom  of  the  great 
within."  "I  am  in  the  secret  places  of  the  Most 
High,"  and  similar  states.  While  you  make  these 
statements  feel  that  you  are  peaceful  and  still  and 
that  you  are  now  in  that  inner  world  where  all  is 
quiet  and  serene.  When  you  feel  this  deep,  sub- 
lime stillness  you  can  use  other  affirmations  accord- 
ing to  your  present  needs.  You  may  affirm  that  you 
are  well  and  strong  and  happy  and  harmonious,  and 
that  you  have  full  possession  of  all  those  qualities 
that  you  know  have  existence  in  real  life.  To  feel 
the  perfect  peace  of  the  soul,  however,  is  the  first 
essential.  After  that  is  attained  your  consciousness 
will  deepen  and  you  will  enter  the  great  within  to  a 
greater  and  greater  degree.  While  the  mind  is  in 
this  interior  state  of  being  every  thought  you  think 
will  be  a  power,  and  every  desire  you  express  will 
modify  or  change  everything  in  your  life  accord- 
ing to  the  nature  of  that  desire  and  in  proportion 
to  its  depth  and  unity  with  the  Supreme.  For  this 
reason  you  should  train  yourself  to  think  only  right 
thoughts  and  create  only  the  truest  desires  while 
you  are  in  the  silent  state.  That  which  you  think 
or  do  while  in  the  silence  will  have  a  greater  effect 
upon  your  life  than  that  which  you  may  attempt 
while  on  the  surface  of  outer  consciousness.  There- 
fore, everything  that  is  important  should  be  taken 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  33 

into  the  silence  and  through  the  silence  to  the  Infi- 
nite. This  corresponds  perfectly  with  the  state- 
ment "Take  it  to  the  Lord  in  prayer."  The  real 
purpose  of  the  silence  is  to  enable  the  mind  to  enter 
the  inner  life  and  not  only  re-create  all  thought  ac- 
cording to  the  higher  truth,  but  to  enter  into  a  more 
perfect  touch  with  the  divine  source  of  things.  The 
silence  should  be  entered  every  day  for  ten,  twenty 
or  thirty  minutes.  This  is  a  daily  practice  of  ex- 
treme value.  Though  you  may  not  have  any  real 
results  at  first,  simply  continue ;  you  will  reach  your 
goal.  When  you  begin  to  become  conscious  of  your 
interior  life  and  begin  to  live  more  or  less  in  touch 
with  the  world  beautiful  that  is  within  you,  you 
will  find  that  you  can  live  in  this  high,  peaceful  state 
the  greater  part  of  the  time  and  thus  be  in  the  silence 
almost  constantly.  This  is  not  only  a  most  desir- 
able attainment,  but  it  is  the  one  great  attainment 
toward  which  every  soul  should  work.  When  a  per- 
son can  live  in  these  higher  realms  always  and  con- 
stantly, and  desire  the  realization  of  the  highest  and 
the  best  that  he  knows,  the  prayer  without  ceasing, 
the  true  spiritual  prayer  is  being  fulfilled.  Such 
a  prayer  will  be  answered  eternally.  Every  day 
will  bring  us  something  that  we  truly  wished  for, 
and  every  moment  will  be  supplied  with  all  that  is 
necessary  to  make  the  present  full  and  complete. 

6.  Think  the  truth.   When  we  learn  to  think  the 
truth  we  have  actually  come  to  the  "  parting  of  the 


34  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

ways."  Here  we  find  where  the  old  leaves  off  and 
the  new  begins.  In  this  state  the  wrong  disappears 
and  the  right  is  discerned  and  realized  in  an  ever 
increasing  manner.  The  foundation  of  all  truth  is 
expressed  in  the  basic  statement— MAN  IS  A 
SPIRITUAL  BEING  CREATED  IN  THE  IMAGE 
AND  LIKENESS  OF  GOD.  Being  created  in  the 
image  of  God  man  is  now  divine  and  in  possession 
of  all  the  divine  attributes.  Each  individual  is  now 
in  possession  of  infinite  wisdom,  infinite  power,  in- 
finite love,  eternal  life,  perfect  peace,  everlasting 
joy,  universal  truth,  universal  freedom,  universal 
good,  divine  wholeness,  spotless  virtue,  boundless 
supply.  True,  these  attributes  exist  principally  in 
the  potential  state,  that  is,  they  are  possibilities  wait- 
ing in  the  within  for  unfoldment,  development  and 
expression ;  nevertheless,  they  do  exist  in  every  soul 
and  to  a  degree  that  is  limitless.  Therefore,  every 
soul  does  actually  possess  those  attributes,  and  to 
speak  the  truth  we  must  recognize  their  existence 
and  even  now  claim  their  possession.  To  think  the 
truth  you  must  think  that  you  are  divine  in  your 
true  being,  and  that  you  possess  these  attributes, 
because  this  is  the  truth.  You  are  divine  in  your 
true  being,  because  you  are  created  in  the  image 
of  God,  and  you  do  possess  the  divine  attributes 
just  mentioned  because  that  which  is  divine  must 
necessarily  possess  the  attributes  of  the  divine. 
To  think  contrary  to  this  would  be  wrong  thought, 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  35 

and  from  wrong  thought  comes  all  the  wrong  in  the 
world.  The  average  person  does  think  contrary  to 
this  thought;  therefore,  he  is  almost  constantly  in 
bondage  to  sin,  sickness  or  trouble  of  some  kind. 
Divine  wholeness,  that  is,  perfect  health  of  body  and 
mind  is  yours  now,  always  was  and  always  will  be; 
therefore  it  would  be  wrong  for  you  to  say,  "I  am 
sick. ' '  Your  real  being  is  never  sick,  never  will  be,  be- 
cause it  is  divine  and  you  are  the  real  being ;  you  are 
not  the  body ;  you  possess  a  body,  and  that  body  may 
be  indisposed,  if  you  create  wrong  thought,  but  that 
body  is  not  you.  You  are  a  spiritual  being  created 
in  the  image  of  God,  therefore  you  are  always  well. 
When  sickness  appears  on  the  surface,  that  is,  in 
the  body,  know  that  it  is  on  the  surface  only;  that 
sickness  is  not  in  you;  you  are  real  being,  and  in 
real  being  perfect  health  reigns  absolutely  and 
eternally.  The  sickness  that  sometimes  appears  in 
the  body  is  the  result  of  a  recognition  of  untruth, 
either  expressed  in  wrong  thinking  or  wrong  living. 
Right  thought,  that  is,  that  thought  that  invariably 
follows  the  recognition  of  absolute  truth,  would  not 
produce  sickness;  and  no  person  could  become  sick 
that  is  always  filled  and  protected  with  the  power 
of  right  thought.  When  the  light  reigns  supremely, 
darkness  cannot  enter.  Wrong  thought  comes  from 
a  false  conception  of  yourself,  and  false  conceptions 
will  continue  to  form  in  mind  so  long  as  you  are  ig- 
norant of  the  truth.  When  you  know  the  truth, 


36  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

that  you  are  the  image  of  God,  perfect  in  your  own 
true  being,  you  will  think  this  truth  and  all  your 
thought  will  be  right;  consequently,  only  right  con- 
ditions can  exist  in  your  life,  and  all  will  henceforth 
be  well  with  you.  When  you  see  yourself  as  you 
are  in  your  true  being,  that  you  are  even  now  strong 
and  well,  in  full  possession  of  peace,  love,  power, 
wisdom,  freedom  and  all  the  good  that  is  in  God  you 
will  think  of  yourself  accordingly,  and  such  thought 
is  right  thought.  The  result  will  be  right  condi- 
tions in  mind  and  body.  From  center  to  circumfer- 
ence your  entire  being  will  be  well  and  perfect,  as 
it  always  was  and  ever  will  be  in  the  truth.  To  think 
the  absolute  truth  at  first  seems  a  contradiction  of 
known  facts,  because  we  are  so  used  to  judging  from 
appearances,  but  when  we  find  that  appearances  are 
simply  the  result  of  thought,  that  right  thought  pro- 
duces good  appearances,  and  wrong  thought  pro- 
duces adverse  appearances,  and  learn  that  true  be- 
ing is  the  image  of  God,  we  shall  no  longer  see 
contradiction  in  thinking  absolute  truth.  When  we 
think  the  truth  about  ourselves  we  shall  always  think 
the  truth  about  others ;  we  shall,  therefore,  not  think 
of  them  as  they  appear  on  the  surface  but  as  they 
are  in  the  perfection  of  real  spiritual  being.  We 
shall  overlook,  forgive  and  forget  the  wrong  appear- 
ance, knowing  that  it  is  but  a  temporary  effect  of 
wrong  thought,  and  we  shall  proceed  to  inspire  every- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  37 

one  to  change  that  appearance  by  thinking  right 
thought,  the  thought  of  truth. 

7.  Live  in  the  spirit  To  express  this  statement 
in  its  simplest  terms,  we  would  say  that  to  live  in 
the  spirit  is  to  live  in  the  upper  story  of  mind  and 
thought,  or  to  live  on  the  good  side,  the  bright  side 
and  the  true  side  of  everything.  To  the  beginner 
this  is  sufficient,  because  this  simple  change  in  liv- 
ing must  come  before  the  higher  spiritual  conscious- 
ness can  be  realized;  but  the  change  though  simple 
at  first  will  completely  revolutionize  life.  Ere  long, 
however,  the  consciousness  of  the  true  side  and  the 
better  side  will  become  so  clear  that  to  live  in  the 
spirit  will  mean  infinitely  more  than  to  simply  dwell 
in  the  upper  story  of  mind,  and  when  this  larger 
experience  comes  we  shall  know  from  our  own  il- 
lumined understanding  what  it  means  to  live  in  the 
spirit.  When  we  begin  to  think  the  truth  all  kinds 
of  illusions  and  false  beliefs  will  gradually  vanish, 
and  we  shall  not  only  understand  that  we  are  spiri- 
tual beings,  but  we  shall  feel  that  we  are  all  that 
divine  life  can  be.  "We  shall  positively  know  that 
we  are  eternal  souls  living  in  a  spiritual  world  now, 
expressing  ourselves  in  a  physical  world,  and  we 
shall  realize  that  we  are  actually  created  in  the 
image  and  likeness  of  the  Infinite,  united  with  the 
Infinite  and  living  in  the  life  of  Infinite  being. 
Through  the  fuller  realization  of  truth  we  will  learn 
that  the  spiritual  is  not  some  vague,  far  away  some- 


38  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

thing  that  saints  alone  can  know,  hut  that  spirit  is 
the  essence  of  all  things,  the  very  life  of  all  things 
visible  and  invisible,  and  that  spirit  is  in  itself  abso- 
lutely good  and  perfect.  We  will  realize  that  there 
is  but  one  substance  from  which  all  things  proceed 
and  that  substance  is  the  expression  of  spirit;  we 
will  see  that  there  is  but  one  life,  the  spiritual  life, 
and  that  there  is  but  one  law,  the  eternal  coming 
forth  in  a  greater  and  greater  measure  of  life.  We 
will  find  that  spirit  is  the  basis  of  all  things,  the 
soul  of  all  things,  and  that  therefore  all  things  are 
in  reality  very  good  and  very  beautiful.  We  will 
find  through  the  spirit  that  evil  is  but  a  temporary 
condition  produced  by  man's  understanding  of  the 
goodness  and  the  completeness  of  real  being  and 
that  to  so  live  that  we  realize  the  absolute  goodness 
and  the  perfect  harmony  of  the  whole  universe  is  to 
live  in  the  spirit.  When  we  realize  this  we  are  on 
the  true  side  of  all  things  and  we  feel  that  we  are. 
When  we  are  in  harmony  with  all  things  we  are  in 
harmony  with  the  Infinite  and  can  feel  His  presence 
always ;  and  we  also  find  that  to  ' '  dwell  in  the  secret 
places  of  the  Most  High"  is  to  realize  that  we  are  in' 
that  great  sea  of  life,  the  great  spiritual  sea,  the  uni- 
versal state  of  being,  the  world  of  divine  existence. 
While  we  are  in  this  upper  state,  that  is,  in  the  spirit, 
we  are  away  from  the  false,  and  actually  in  the  true. 
We  are  in  the  spirit,  and  from  the  light  of  the  spirit 
we  can  see  clearly  the  truth  concerning  everything. 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  KEAL  39 

From  this  place  we  may  ascend  to  other  and 
greater  heights  and  enter  into  the  ever  increasing 
realms  of  life  where  existence  becomes  fairer 
and  higher,  too  beautiful  for  tongue  to  ever  describe. 
What  is  held  in  store  for  the  soul  that  lives  in  the 
spirit,  eternity  alone  can  reveal,  but  that  the 
life  that  is  lived  in  the  spirit  is  the  only  true  life 
thousands  have  learned,  both  in  this  age  and  in 
ages  gone  by.  To  the  beginner,  however,  the  first 
essential  is  to  get  away  from  material  life,  that  is, 
the  common,  the  gross,  the  superficial,  the  ordinary, 
the  perverted  and  the  wrong;  then  to  go  up  higher, 
to  enter  the  world  of  light  and  live  in  the  more  beau- 
tiful realms  of  sublime  existence.  To  live  in  the 
spirit,  live  in  the  highest  and  most  perfect  state  now, 
and  do  not  for  a  moment  come  down.  At  first  this 
state  will  simply  be  a  life  that  is  finer,  larger 
and  more  harmonious,  where  things  move  more 
smoothly  and  where  the  value  of  life  seems  to  con- 
stantly increase ;  but  ere  long  living  in  the  spirit  will 
mean  far  more  than  merely  a  pleasing  state  of  exist- 
ence, and  the  further  we  advance  the  more  this 
wonderful  life  will  be,  until  we  begin  to  understand 
the  great  soul  who  declared:  "Eye  hath  not  seen 
nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath  it  entered  into  the  heart 
of  man  what  God  has  prepared  for  them  that  love 
Him."  In  this  connection  we  must  bear  in  mind  that 
it  is  not  necessary  to  reach  the  supreme  heights  in 
spiritual  life  before  we  can  live  in  the  spirit.  "We 


40  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

can  live  in  the  spirit  no  matter  where  me  may  be  in 
the  scale  of  life,  because  the  spiritual  life  has  just  as 
many  degrees  as  there  are  human  souls.  Live  in 
the  realization  that  this  universe  has  soul,  that  this 
soul  is  divine,  and  that  you  live  and  move  and  have 
your  being  in  that  great  soul.  Eealize  this  as  fully 
as  your  present  state  of  development  will  permit,  and 
you  have  begun  to  live  in  the  spirit.  The  realization 
of  the  divinity  of  the  soul-side  of  all  things  will  re- 
veal to  your  mind  the  great  truth  that  all  things  are 
perfect  in  their  real  state  of  being,  and  that  the  real 
of  everything  lives  in  a  universe  of  spirit,  a  universe 
that  is  everywhere  within  us  all  and  about  us  all. 
However,  before  we  begin  we  must  be  convinced  of 
the  great  truth  that  the  spiritual  life  is  not  mere  sen- 
timent nor  a  mere  feeling  of  mind  and  soul.  The 
spiritual  life  is  the  real  life,  the  foundation  of  all  life, 
the  essence  of  all  life,  the  soul  of  all  life,  and  every 
true  statement  concerning  the  spiritual  life  is  an  ex- 
act scientific  fact  readily  demonstrated  by  anyone 
who  will  apply  the  principle.  And  happy  is  the  soul 
that  does  apply  this  principle,  for  such  a  soul  will 
find  life  in  the  spirit,  not  only  to  be  real,  but  to  be 
infinitely  more  perfect,  more  wonderful  and  more 
beautiful  than  anyone  has  ever  dreamed. 


CHAPTER  HI. 

THE  FIRST  STEPS  IN  IDEAL.  LIVING. 

Give  your  best  to  the  world  no  matter  how  insig- 
nificant that  best  may  be,  and  the  world  will  in- 
variably give  its  best  to  you.  There  was  nothing 
great  or  remarkable  about  the  widow's  mite,  but  it 
did  produce  remarkable  results,  and  the  reason  was 
she  gave  her  very  best.  When  we  give  our  best  we 
not  only  receive  the  best  in  return  from  the  outer 
world,  but  we  also  receive  the  best  from  the  inner 
world.  When  you  give  your  best  you  bring  forth 
your  best,  and  it  is  the  bringing  forth  of  your  best 
that  causes  you  to  become  better  and  better.  When 
you  become  better  you  will  meet  better  people  and 
enter  into  better  environments,  and  everything  in 
your  life  will  change  for  the  better,  because  like  does 
attract  like.  To  give  much  is  to  become  much,  pro- 
vided we  give  our  best  and  give  with  the  heart.  The 
giving  that  .comes  simply  from  the  hand  does  not 
count,  no  matter  how  large  it  may  be.  It  brings 
nothing  back  to  us  nor  does  it  bring  permanent  good 
to  anybody  else.  When  you  give  your  best  you  do 
not  give  from  your  over-supply  or  from  that  which 
you  cannot  use.  If  you  have  something  that  you 

41 


42  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

cannot  use,  it  does  not  belong  to  you,  and  you  can- 
not give,  in  the  true  sense  of  the  term,  what  is  not 
your  own.  To  give  does  not  mean  simply  to  give 
money,  unless  that  is  the  best  you  have;  but 
rather  to  give  your  own  service,  your  own  talents, 
your  ability,  your  own  true  worth  and  your  own 
real  self.  The  man  who  lives  a  real  life  at  all  times 
and  under  all  circumstances  is  giving  his  best  and 
the  very  best  possible  that  can  be  given.  A  real  life 
truly  lived  in  the  world  is  a  power,  and  the  person 
who  lives  such  a  life  is  a  power  for  good  wherever 
he  may  be.  The  presence  of  such  a  person  is  an  in- 
spiration and  a  light,  as  we  all  know.  The  man  who 
loves  the  whole  world  with  heart  and  soul,  and  loves 
without  ceasing  is  doing  far  more  for  the  race  than 
he  who  endows  universities,  and  will  receive  a  far 
greater  reward.  We  must  remember,  however,  that 
such  a  love  is  not  mere  sentiment.  Eeal  love  is  a 
power  and  will  cause  the  person  who  has  it  to  do 
his  very  best  for  everybody  under  every  possible  cir- 
cumstance. That  person  whose  heart  is  with  the 
race  will  never  be  satisfied  with  inferior  work.  He 
will  never  shirk  nor  leave  the  problems  of  life  to 
somebody  else;  he  will  go  in  and  push  wherever 
something  good  is  being  done,  and  he  will  constantly 
endeavor  to  render  better  and  better  service  where- 
ever  his  field  of  action  may  be  Such  a  person  will 
give  his  best  to  the  world,  whether  he  gives  through 
the  channels  of  art  or  mechanics,  music  or  literature, 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  43 

physical  labor  or  intellectual  labor,  ideas  or  real 
living.  What  he  does  will  be  the  best,  and  what  he 
receives  in  return  will  be  the  best  that  the  world  is 
able  to  give.  Give  the  best  that  you  are  through 
every  thought,  word  and  deed ;  that  is  the  principle ; 
and  your  life  will  be  constantly  enriched  both  from 
without  and  from  within.  Through  the  daily  appli- 
cation of  this  principle  you  will  develop  superiority 
in  mind,  soul,  character  and  life,  and  the  world  will 
be  better  off  because  you  are  here. 

Expect  the  best  from  everybody  and  everybody 
will  do  their  best  for  you.  There  may  be  occasional 
exceptions  to  this  rule,  but  through  close  examina- 
tion we  shall  find  that  these  exceptions  are  due 
solely  to  our  own  negligence  in  applying  the  law  to 
every  occasion.  The  man  who  expects  the  best 
from  everybody  and  has  faith  in  everybody  will  cer- 
tainly receive  more  love,  more  kindness,  better 
friendship,  better  service  and  more  agreeable  asso- 
ciates by  far  than  the  one  who  has  little  or  no  faith 
in  anyone.  But  our  faith  in  people  must  be  alive, 
and  our  expectations  must  have  soul.  To  live  con- 
stantly in  the  fear  that  people  will  do  this  or  that, 
and  that  such  and  such  mistakes  may  be  made,  is  to 
live  in  a  confused  mental  world,  and  where  there  is 
much  confusion  there  will  be  many  mistakes.  Men- 
tal states  are  contagious;  how  that  can  be  is  not  a 
matter  for  present  discussion,  but  the  fact  that  they 
are  is  extremely  important,  and  we  all  know  that 


44  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

they  are ;  therefore,  if  we  live  in  fear  and  confusion 
we  will  be  a  disturbing  element  among  all  those  with 
whom  we  associate,  and  if  our  associates  are  not 
mentally  strong  and  positive,  they  will  be  more  or 
less  confused  by  our  presence,  and  they  are  very 
liable  to  produce  the  very  mistakes  we  feared.  On 
the  other  hand,  when  we  have  faith  in  people  we 
help  them  to  have  faith  in  themselves,  and  the  more 
faith  a  person  has  in  himself  the  fewer  his  mistakes 
and  the  better  his  work.  When  we  have  faith  in 
everybody  and  are  constantly  expecting  the  best 
from  everybody  we  create  wholesome  conditions  in 
our  own  minds,  conditions  that  will  tend  to  develop 
the  best  in  ourselves ;  that  person,  however,  who  has 
no  faith  in  others  will  soon  lose  faith  in  himself,  and 
when  he  does  there  will  be  a  turn  for  the  worse  in 
his  life.  True,  he  may  continue  to  possess  a 
mechanical  self-confidence  or  an  exaggerated  state 
of  egotism,  but  such  a  state  will  soon  produce  a  re- 
action, and  failure  will  follow.  The  self-confidence 
that  brings  out  the  best  that  is  within  us  is  always 
founded  upon  a  living  faith  in  the  inherent  great- 
ness of  man;  therefore,  no  one  can  have  real  faith 
in  himself  unless  he  also  has  faith  in  the  greater 
possibilities  of  the  race,  and  no  one  can  expect  the 
best  from  himself  and  give  soul  to  that  expectation 
unless  he  also  expects  the  best  from  others.  This 
is  a  scientific  fact  that  anyone  can  prove  in  his  own 
daily  experience.  To  expect  the  best  from  every- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  45 

body  will  cause  everybody  to  do  their  best  for  you. 
Look  for  the  best  everywhere  and  you  will  find 
the  best  wherever  you  go.  Why  this  is  so  is  a  mat- 
ter upon  which  many  delight  to  speculate,  but  the 
why  does  not  concern  us  just  now.  It  is  the  fact 
that  this  law  works  that  concerns  us,  and  concerns 
us  very  much.  Not  everybody  can  fully  understand 
why  the  best  is  always  found  by  him  who  never  looks 
for  anything  but  the  best,  but  everybody  can  look 
for  the  best  everywhere  and  thereby  find  the  best; 
and  it  is  the  finding  of  the  best  that  attracts  our  at- 
tention. It  is  real  results  that  we  are  looking  for, 
and  the  simpler  the  method  the  better.  The  man 
who  will  constantly  apply  this  law  will  not  remain 
in  undesirable  environments  very  long,  nor  will  he 
occupy  an  inferior  position  very  long ;  better  things 
will  positively  come  his  way  and  he  will  not  have 
to  wait  an  age  for  the  change.  The  man  who  looks 
for  the  best  is  constantly  thinking  about  the  best  and 
constantly  impressing  his  mind  with  the  best  thought 
about  everything;  and  since  man  is  as  he  thinks  we 
can  readily  understand  why  such  a  man  will  become 
better  and  better ;  therefore,  by  looking  for  the  best 
everywhere  he  will  not  only  find  the  best  in  the  ex- 
ternal world,  but  he  will  create  the  best  in  his  men- 
tal world ;  this  will  give  him  a  greater  mind,  which  in 
turn  will  produce  higher  attainments  and  greater 
achievements.  That  man,  however,  who  is  always 
looking  for  the  worst  will  constantly  think  about  the 


46  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

worst  and  will  fill  his  mind  with  inferior  thoughts; 
that  he,  himself,  will  become  inferior  by  such  a  pro- 
cess is  a  foregone  conclusion.  We  shall  positively 
find,  sooner  or  later,  what  we  constantly  look  for; 
it  is,  therefore,  profitable  to  look  for  the  best  every- 
where and  at  all  times ;  we  become  like  those  things 
that  we  constantly  and  deeply  think  about;  it  is, 
therefore,  profitable  to  think  only  of  the  best  what- 
ever may  come  or  not.  The  average  person  may 
not  find  the  best  the  very  first  day  this  principle  is 
applied.  Most  of  us  have  strayed  so  far  away  from 
this  mode  of  thinking  and  living  that  it  may  take 
some  time  to  get  back  to  the  path  that  leads  to  the 
best ;  but  one  thing  is  certain,  whoever  will  look  for 
the  best  everywhere,  and  continue  to  do  so  for  a 
reasonable  length  of  time,  will  find  that  path;  be- 
sides, he  will  have  more  delightful  experiences  while 
he  is  training  himself  to  apply  this  principle  than 
he  has  had  for  any  similar  period  before.  This,  how- 
ever, will  be  only  the  beginning;  the  future  has  far 
greater  things  in  store,  if  he  will  continue  to  look 
for  the  best  and  never  look  for  anything  else. 

When  things  are  not  to  your  liking,  like  them  as 
they  axe.  In  other  words,  while  you  are  working 
for  greater  things  make  friends  with  the  lesser 
things,  and  they  will  help  you  to  reach  your  goal. 
The  person  who  is  dissatisfied  with  things  as  they 
are  and  discontented  because  things  are  not  to  his 
liking  is  standing  in  his  own  way.  We  cannot  get 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  47 

away  from  present  conditions  so  long  as  we  an- 
tagonize those  conditions,  because  we  are  held  in 
bondage  to  that  which  we  resist.  If  you  want  pres- 
ent conditions  to  become  stepping-stones  to  better 
things,  you  must  get  on  the  better  side  of  present 
conditions,  and  you  do  that  by  liking  things  as  they 
are  while  they  remain  with  you.  We  must  be  in 
harmony  with  the  present  if  we  wish  to  advance, 
because  in  order  to  advance  we  must  use  the  present, 
but  we  cannot  use  that  with  which  we  are  not  in 
harmony.  This  is  a  fact  that  deserves  the  most  thor- 
ough attention  and  will,  when  understood,  explain 
fully  why  the  average  person  seems  powerless  to 
rise  above  his  surroundings.  We  must  be  on 
friendly  terms  with  everything  that  exists  in  our 
present  world  if  we  wish  to  gain  possession  of  all 
the  building  material  that  our  present  world  can 
give,  and  we  cannot  secure  too  much  material  if  we 
desire  to  build  a  larger  life  and  a  greater  future. 
That  which  we  dislike  becomes  detrimental  to  us, 
no  matter  how  good  it  may  be ;  nevertheless,  it  will 
always  be  with  us  because  it  is  impossible  to  elimi- 
nate permanently  that  which  we  antagonize;  when 
we  run  away  from  it  in  one  place  we  shall  meet  it 
elsewhere  in  some  other  form;  but  that  which  we 
love  will  constantly  serve  us  and  help  us  on  to 
greater  things ;  when  it  can  serve  us  no  longer  it  will 
disappear.  To  like  those  things,  however,  that  are 
not  to  our  liking  may  seem  difficult,  but  the  question 


48  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

is  why  they  are  not  to  our  liking ;  when  we  know  that 
everything  in  our  present  world  is  a  stepping-stone 
to  something  still  better  it  will  be  natural  for  us  to 
like  everything.  Those  things  may  not  come  up  to 
our  ideals,  but  that  is  not  their  real  purpose;  it 
is  not  the  mission  of  present  things  to  serve  as 
ideals,  their  mission  is  to  help  us  to  reach  our  ideals, 
and  they  positively  can  do  this  if  we  will  take 
them  into  friendly  co-operation.  When  you  take  a 
drive  to  an  ideal  country  place  you  do  not  dislike 
the  horse  because  he  is  not  that  country  place;  if 
you  are  humane,  you  will  love  that  horse  because 
he  is  willing  and  able  to  take  you  where  you  wish 
to  go.  If  you  should  dislike  and  mistreat  that  horse 
or  should  fail  to  hitch  him  to  the  vehicle,  you  would 
not  reach  your  destination.  This,  however,  is  the 
very  thing  that  the  average  person  does  with  the 
things  of  his  present  world;  these  things  are  the 
horses  and  the  vehicles  that  can  take  us  to  the  ideal 
places  we  desire  to  reach;  but  we  must  hitch  them 
up;  we  must  treat  them  right  and  use  them.  To 
cause  all  things  that  are  about  us  now  to  work  to- 
gether with  us,  we  must  be  in  perfect  harmony  with 
them;  we  must  like  them  as  they  are,  and  that  be- 
comes comparatively  easy  when  we  know  that  it  is 
necessary  for  them  to  be  what  they  are  in  order  that 
they  may  serve  as  our  stepping-stones ;  if  they  were 
different  there  would  be  no  stepping-stones,  and  we 
would  have  to  remain  where  we  are.  When  we  re- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  49 

alize  that  everything  that  exists  in  our  present  world 
has  the  power  to  promote  our  advancement,  if  we 
properly  use  that  power,  and  when  we  realize  that 
it  is  necessary  to  be  in  harmony  with  all  things  to 
use  the  power  that  is  within  those  things,  we  shall 
no  longer  dislike  anything;  we  shall  even  make 
friends  with  adversity,  because  the  power  that  is  in 
adversity  can  be  tamed  by  kindness  and  love;  and 
when  that  power  is  tamed  it  becomes  our  own. 
These  are  great  facts  and  easily  demonstrated  by 
anyone,  and  whoever  will  apply  these  principles 
will  find  that  by  liking  everything  that  he  finds  he 
will  secure  the  co-operation  of  everything,  and  any- 
one can  move  forward  rapidly  when  all  things  are 
working  with  him;  consequently,  by  liking  what  he 
finds  he  will  find  what  he  likes. 

When  you  do  not  get  what  you  want  take  what  you 
can  get  and  call  it  good.  It  is  better  to  have  some- 
thing than  nothing;  besides,  we  must  use  what  we 
can  get  before  we  can  become  so  strong  and  so  able 
that  we  can  get  whatever  we  may  want.  When  a 
person  fails  to  realize  his  ideals,  there  is  a  reason; 
usually  the  cause  is  this:  He  simply  longs  for  the 
ideal  but  does  not  work  himself  up  to  the  ideal.  And 
to  work  himself  up  to  the  ideal  he  needs  everything 
that  he  can  get  and  use  now;  by  taking  what  he  can 
get  he  secures  something  to  work  with  in  promoting 
his  present  progress,  and  by  looking  upon  this  some- 
thing as  good  he  will  turn  it  to  good  account.  It 


50  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

is  a  well-known  fact  that  we  get  the  best  out  of  every- 
thing when  we  meet  everything  in  the  conviction 
that  it  is  good  for  something,  because  this  attitude 
invariably  brings  the  mind  into  conscious  touch  with 
the  real  value  of  that  which  is  met.  What  we  con- 
stantly look  for  we  are  sure  to  find,  therefore,  by 
calling  everything  good  that  we  get  and  by  con- 
stantly looking  for  the  real  worth  of  that  which  we 
get,  the  good  in  everything  that  we  get  will  be  found ; 
the  result  is  that  everything  we  receive  or  come  in 
contact  with  will  be  good  for  something  to  us  and 
will  have  something  of  value  to  give  us.  Gradually, 
the  good  will  so  accumulate  that  we  shall  have  all 
that  we  want ;  life  will  be  filled  with  that  which  has 
quality  and  worth,  which  means  that  the  develop- 
ment towards  greater  worth  will  constantly  take 
place,  and  development  towards  greater  worth 
means  the  constant  ascension  into  the  realization  of 
our  ideals.  By  accepting  >and  using  the  good  that 
we  can  now  secure  we  add  so  much  to  the  worth  of 
our  own  life  that  we  become  worthy  of  the  greater 
good  we  may  desire ;  in  consequence,  we  shall  posi- 
tively receive  it.  This  process  may  not  satisfy  those 
who  expect  to  reach  the  top  at  once  or  expect  to  re- 
ceive the  better  without  making  themselves  better, 
but  it  will  satisfy  those  who  would  rather  move  for- 
ward gradually  and  surely  than  stand  empty  handed 
waiting  and  waiting  for  ages  hoping  that  some 
miraculous  secret  may  be  found  through  which 


51 

everything  can  be  accomplished  at  once.  The  idea, 
however,  is  not  that  we  should  meekly  submit  to 
things  as  they  are  and  be  satisfied  with  what  little 
fate  may  seem  willing  to  give  us;  that  is  the  other 
extreme  and  is  just  as  detrimental  to  human  wel- 
fare. Take  everything  that  legitimately  comes  your 
way;  do  not  refuse  it  because  it  seems  too  small; 
take  it  and  call  it  good,  because  it  is  good  for  some- 
thing; then  make  the  best  possible  use  of  it  with  a 
view  of  getting  greater  good  through  that  use;  ex- 
pect everything  to  multiply  in  your  hands;  have 
that  faith ;  accept  little  things,  as  well  as  large  things 
in  that  conviction,  and  every  good  that  you  do  ac- 
cept will  be  instrumental  in  bringing  greater  good 
to  you.  To  live  in  the  attitude  of  turning  everything 
to  good  account  has  a  most  wholesome  effect  upon 
mind  and  character,  because  that  mental  attitude 
will  tend  to  turn  everything  within  yourself  to  good 
account ;  the  result  will  be  the  constant  development 
of  a  finer  character  and  a  more  capable  mind.  By 
combining  all  the  results  from  this  mode  of  living 
and  by  noting  the  greater  results  that  will  invariably 
come  from  these  combined  results  we  must  conclude 
that  the  total  gain  will  be  great,  and  that  he  who 
turns  to  good  account  everything  that  comes  into  his 
life,  will  positively  receive  everything  that  he  may 
require  to  live  an  ideal  life. 

Live  in  the  cheerful  world,  even  if  you  have  to 
create  such  a  world  in  your  own  imagination.    Re- 


52  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

solve  to  be  happy  regardless  of  what  comes;  you 
cannot  afford  to  be  otherwise.  Count  everything 
joy;  meet  everything  in  the  spirit  of  joy,  and  ex- 
pect everything  to  give  you  joy.  By  creating  a 
cheerful  world  in  your  own  imagination  you  develop 
the  tendency  to  a  sunny  disposition,  and  by  meeting 
everything  in  the  attitude  of  joy  you  will  soon  meet 
only  those  things  that  naturally  produce  joy.  Like 
does  attract  like.  Much  sunshine  will  gather  more 
sunshine,  and  the  happiest  mind  meets  the  most  de- 
lightful experiences.  When  exceptions  occur  pass 
them  by  as  of  no  consequence,  because  they  are  of 
no  consequence  to  you ;  you  are  interested  only  in 
happy  events ;  it  is  only  such  events  that  you  desire 
to  meet ;  therefore,  there  is  no  reason  whatever  why 
you  should  pay  any  attention  to  the  other  kind.  It 
is  a  fact  that  the  less  attention  we  pay  to  unpleas- 
ant conditions  the  less  unpleasantness  we  meet  in 
life.  That  person  who  looks  for  the  disagreeable 
everywhere  and  expects  to  find  it  everywhere  will 
certainly  find  what  he  is  looking  for  in  most  places, 
if  not  in  all  places.  On  the  other  hand,  the  person 
who  expects  only  the  pleasant  will  seldom  find  any- 
thing else.  We  attract  what  we  think  of  the  most. 
There  is  no  better  medicine  than  cheerfulness,  es- 
pecially for  the  circulation  and  the  digestive  func- 
tions. Keep  your  mind  full  of  living  joy  and  your 
circulation  will  be  strong  in  every  part  of  your  be- 
ing, and  a  strong  full  circulation  is  one  of  the 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  53 

secrets  to  perfect  health.  Another  great  secret  to 
health  is  a  good  digestion,  and  it  is  well  to  remem- 
ber that  so  long  as  you  are  thoroughly  bright  and 
happy  you  can  digest  almost  anything.  The  greatest 
value  of  cheerfulness,  however,  is  found  in  its  effect 
upon  the  mind ;  that  is,  in  its  power  to  make  faculties 
and  talents  grow,  just  as  sunshine  makes  flowers 
grow.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  most  cheer- 
ful mind  is  the  most  brilliant  mind,  other  things  be- 
ing equal,  and  that  the  brightest  ideas  always  come 
when  you  are  in  the  brightest  frame  of  mind.  This 
makes  cheerfulness  indispensable  to  those  who  wish 
to  improve  themselves  and  develop  superior  mental 
power.  The  depressed  mind  is  always  dull  and 
never  sees  anything  clearly ;  while  the  cheerful  mind 
learns  more  readily,  remembers  more  easily  land 
understands  more  perfectly;  but  we  must  not  con- 
clude that  cheerfulness  is  all  that  is  necessary  to  the 
development  of  a  fine  intelligence;  there  must  be 
mental  power  and  mental  quality  as  well;  but  the 
power  and  the  quality  of  the  mind,  however  great, 
cannot  be  fully  expressed  without  an  abundance  of 
mental  sunshine.  Though  the  warmest  sunshine 
may  fail  to  make  a  gravel-knoll  productive,  still  the 
most  fertile  soil  will  remain  barren  so  long  as  the 
sunshine  is  absent.  There  are  thousands  of  fertile 
minds  in  the  world  that  are  almost  wholly  unproduc- 
tive, because  they  lack  mental  sunshine.  If  these 
would  cultivate  real  genuine  mental  brightness  every 


54 


part  of  the  world  would  sparkle  with  brilliant  ideas. 
What  the  acorn  is  to  the  oak  bright  ideas  are  to  a 
great  and  successful  life,  and  we  all  can  produce 
bright  ideas  through  the  development  of  mental  abil- 
ity and  the  cultivation  of  mental  sunshine.  Cheer- 
fulness keeps  the  body  in  the  best  condition  and 
brings  out  the  best  that  there  is  in  the  mind.  To 
attain  the  cheerful  state  we  must  remember  that  it 
is  a  product  of  the  inner  life  and  does  not  come  from 
circumstances  or  conditions;  therefore,  the  first  es- 
sential is  to  create  a  cheerful  world  in  the  imagina- 
tion ;  picture  in  mind  the  brightest  states  of  existence 
that  you  can  think  of  and  impress  joy  upon  mind 
at  all  times ;  feel  joy,  think  joy,  and  make  every  ac- 
tion of  mind  and  body  thrill  with  joy;  ere  long  you 
will  have  created  within  yourself  the  subconscious 
cause  of  joy,  and  when  this  is  done  cheerfulness  and 
brightness  will  become  permanent  elements  in 
yourself. 

Live  in  the  present  only,  and  seek  to  make  the 
great  eternal  now  as  full  and  complete  as  possi- 
ble. It  is  what  we  do  for  the  present  that  counts ;  the 
past  is  gone,  and  the  future  is  not  ready  to  be  acted 
upon.  Give  your  time,  your  talent  and  your  power 
to  that  which  is  now  at  hand  and  you  will  do  things 
worth  while ;  you  will  not  waste  thought  upon  what 
you  expect  to  do,  but  you  will  turn  all  your  energies 
upon  that  which  you  now  can  do ;  results  will  posi- 
tively follow.  The  man  who  does  things  worth  while 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  55 

in  the  present  will  not  have  to  worry  about  the 
future;  for  such  a  man  the  future  has  rich  rewards 
in  abundance.  The  greater  the  present  cause  the 
greater  the  future  effect.  Nine-tenths  of  the  worries 
in  the  average  life  are  simply  about  the  future;  all 
of  these  will  be  eliminated  when  we  learn  to  live  in 
the  present  only.  Instead  of  giving  anxious  thought 
to  the  bridge  we  may  have  to  cross  we  should  give 
scientific  thought  to  the  increase  of  present  ability 
and  power ;  thus  we  make  ourselves  fully  competent 
to  master  every  occasion  that  may  be  met.  To  judge 
the  present.  The  present  moment  should  be  dealt 
cause  if  we  are  advancing,  the  present  is  not  only 
larger  than  the  past,  but  quite  different  in  many  if 
not  all  respects.  To  follow  the  past  is  to  limit  one's 
self  to  the  lesser  accomplishments  of  the  past  and 
thus  prevent  the  very  best  from  being  attained  in 
the  present.  The  present  moment  should  be  dealt 
with  according  to  the  needs  of  the  present  moment 
regardless  of  what  was  done  under  similar  condi- 
tions in  the  past.  There  is  sufficient  wisdom  at  hand 
now  to  solve  all  the  problems  of  the  present  moment, 
if  we  will  make  full,  practical  application  of  that 
wisdom.  He  who  lives  for  the  present  only  will  live 
a  larger  life,  a  happier  life,  a  far  more  useful  life; 
this  is  perfectly  natural,  because  he  will  not  scatter 
his  forces  over  past  ages  and  future  ages,  but  will 
concentrate  his  whole  life,  all  his  power,  all  his  abil- 
ity upon  that  which  he  is  trying  to  do  now;  he  will 


56  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

be  his  best  to-day,  because  he  will  give  all  of  his 
best  to  the  life  of  to-day,  and  he  who  is  his  best  to- 
day will  be  still  better  to-morrow. 

Never  complain,  criticise  or  condemn,  but  meet 
all  things  in  a  constructive  attitude  of  mind.  The 
critical  mind  is  destructive  to  itself,  and  will  in  time 
become  wholly  incompetent  to  even  produce  logical 
criticism.  To  complain  about  everything  is  to  con- 
stantly think  about  the  inferior  side  of  everything, 
thus  impressing  inferiority  upon  the  mind ;  this  will 
cause  the  entire  process  of  thinking  to  become  in- 
ferior; in  consequence,  the  retrogression  of  the  man 
himself  will  inevitably  follow.  Eefuse  to  complain 
about  anything;  complaints  never  righted  a  wrong 
and  never  will.  When  you  seek  to  gain  justice 
through  complaint  you  temporarily  gain  something 
in  one  place  and  permanently  lose  something  in 
another;  besides,  you  have  harmed  your  own  mind. 
The  fact  is  that  the  more  you  complain  the  worse 
things  will  become ;  and  the  more  you  criticise  what 
you  meet  to-day  the  more  adverse  and  inferior  will 
be  the  things  you  are  to  meet  to-morrow.  The  rea- 
son why  is  simple ;  the  complaining  mind  attracts  the 
cheap  and  the  common,  and  the  critical  spirit  goes 
directly  down  into  weakness  and  inferiority.  How- 
ever, we  must  remember  in  this  connection  that 
there  is  a  marked  difference  between  the  critical  at- 
titude and  the  discriminating  attitude.  When  things 
are  not  right  we  should  say  so,  but  while  saying  so  we 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  57 

we  should  not  enter  into  a  * '  rip  and  tear ' '  frame  of 
mind;  the  facts  should  be  stated  firmly  but  gently 
and  without  the  slightest  trace  of  ill  feeling  or  con- 
demnation; simply  discriminate  between  the  white 
and  the  black  and  state  the  facts,  but  let  no  hurt 
whatever  appear  in  your  voice.  What  we  say  is 
important,  but  the  way  things  are  said  is  far  more 
important ;  even  truth  itself,  can  be  expressed  in  such 
a  way  that  it  hurts,  harms  and  destroys;  this,  how- 
ever, is  not  true  expression.  It  is  truth  misdirected, 
and  always  produces  undesirable  effects.  To  state 
your  wants  in  a  friendly  manner  is  not  complaint, 
but  when  there  are  hurts  and  whines  in  your  voice 
you  are  making  complaints  and  you  are  harming 
yourself;  besides,  you  are  producing  unfavorable 
impressions  upon  those  with  whom  you  come  in  con- 
tact. It  is  far  better  to  have  faith  in  people  than 
to  criticise  and  complain,  even  though  everything 
seems  to  go  wrong,  because  when  we  have  faith  in 
people  we  shall  finally  attract  those  who  are  after 
our  own  hearts,  and  who  are  competent  to  do  things 
the  way  we  wish  to  have  them  done.  Instead  of  com- 
plaining, or  stating  that  there  is  always  something 
wrong,  we  should  live  constantly  in  the  strong  faith 
that  everything  is  eternally  coming  right;  we  thus 
place  ourselves  in  harmony  with  those  laws  that 
can  and  will  make  things  right.  This  is  no  idle 
dream,  nor  shall  we  have  to  wait  a  long  time  to 
secure  results.  The  very  day  we  establish  faith  in 


58  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

the  place  of  complaints,  criticisms  and  distrust,  the 
tide  will  turn;  things  will  change  for  the  better  in 
our  world,  and  continue  to  improve  perpetually. 

Make  the  best  use  of  every  occasion,  and  nothing 
but  opportunities  will  come  your  way.  He  who 
makes  the  best  of  everything  will  attract  the  best 
of  everything,  and  it  is  always  an  opportunity  to 
meet  the  best.  There  are  occasions  that  seem  worth- 
less, and  the  average  person  thinks  he  is  wasting 
time  while  he  is  passing  through  such  states,  but  no 
matter  how  worthless  the  occasion  may  seem  to  be 
the  one  who  makes  the  best  use  of  it  while  he  is  in 
it  will  get  something  of  real  value  out  of  it;  in  ad- 
dition, the  experience  will  have  exceptional  worth, 
because  whenever  we  try  to  turn  an  occasion  to  good 
account  we  turn  everything  in  ourselves  to  good  ac- 
count. The  person  who  makes  the  best  use  of  every 
occasion  is  developing  his  mind  and  strengthening 
his  own  character  every  day ;  to  such  a  person  every 
occasion  will  become  an  opportunity  and  will  con- 
sequently place  him  in  touch  with  the  greater  world 
of  opportunities.  Much  gathers  more  and  many 
small  opportunities  will  soon  attract  a  number  of 
larger  ones;  then  comes  promotion,  advancement 
and  perpetual  increase.  "To  him  that  hath  shall 
be  given. "  Every  event  has  the  power  to  add  to 
your  life,  and  will  add  to  your  life,  if  you  make  the 
best  use  of  what  it  has  to  give;  this  will  constantly 
increase  the  power  of  your  life,  which  will  bring  you 


59 

into  greater  occasions  and  better  opportunities  than 
you  ever  knew  before.  Make  the  best  use  of  every- 
thing that  comes  your  way ;  greater  things  will  posi- 
tively follow;  that  is  the  law,  and  he  who  daily  ap- 
plies this  law  has  a  brilliant  future  before  him. 

Never  antagonize  anything,  neither  in  thought, 
word  nor  deed,  but  live  in  that  attitude  that  is  non-re- 
sisting to  evil  while  positively  and  continuously  in- 
clined towards  the  good.  You  give  your  energy  to 
that  which  you  resist;  you  thereby  give  life  to  the 
very  thing  you  seek  to  destroy.  To  resist  evil  is 
to  increase  the  power  of  evil,  and  at  the  same  time 
take  life  and  power  away  from  that  good  which  you 
wish  to  develop  or  promote.  The  antagonistic  mind 
develops  bitterness  in  itself  and  thereby  becomes 
just  as  disagreeable  as  the  thing  disliked ;  frequently 
more  so,  and  we  cannot  expect  to  be  drawn  into  the 
more  delightful  elements  of  the  ideal  while  we  our- 
selves are  becoming  less  and  less  ideal.  To  live  in 
the  antagonistic  attitude  is  to  perpetuate  a  destruc- 
tive process  throughout  mind  and  body,  and  at  the 
same  time  suffer  a  constant  loss  of  energy.  We 
therefore  cannot  afford  to  be  antagonistic  at  any 
time,  nor  even  righteously  indignant,  no  matter  how 
perfectly  in  the  right  we  may  be ;  though  in  this  con- 
nection it  is  well  to  remember  that  indignation  never 
can  be  righteous.  There  are  a  number  of  minds  that 
have  the  habit  of  feeling  an  inner  bitterness  towards 
those  beliefs  or  systems  of  thought  which  they  can- 


60  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

not  accept.  Frequently  there  can  be  no  logical 
grounds  for  such  a  feeling.  In  many  instances  it 
is  simply  hereditary,  or  the  result  of  foundation- 
less  prejudice;  nevertheless,  it  is  there  and  is 
actually  sapping  life  and  power  out  of  the  mind  that 
has  it.  This  habit  is  therefore  responsible  for  much 
mental  weakness,  inability  and  consequent  failure; 
and  as  everything  that  tends  to  decrease  the  life 
and  the  power  of  the  individual  tends  to  shorten  his 
life,  as  well  as  decrease  the  value  and  usefulness  of 
his  life,  it  is  evident  that  we  cannot  afford  to  feel 
bitter  toward  any  religion,  any  belief,  any  doctrine, 
any  party  or  any  person  whatever;  we  harm  our- 
selves by  so  doing  and  do  not  add  to  the  welfare  or 
happiness  of  anybody.  Be  on  friendly  terms  with 
the  entire  universe  and  feel  kindly  towards  every 
creature  in  existence ;  leave  the  ills  of  perverted  life 
to  die;  let  the  "dead!  bury  their  dead."  It  is  our 
privilege  to  press  on  and  promote  the  greatest  good 
that  we  know;  and  when  we  give  our  whole  time  and 
attention  to  the  highest  attainment  of  the  greatest 
good,  evil  will  die  of  itself.  This  is  what  it  means 
to  overcome  evil  with  good,  and  it  is  the  one  perfect 
path  to  complete  emancipation,  both  for  the  indi- 
vidual and  for  the  race.  If  you  wish  to  serve  the 
race  do  not  antagonize  systems,  doctrines,  methods 
or  beliefs;  be  an  inspiration  to  the  race  by  actually 
living  the  very  best  you  know  now. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  FIRST  THOUGHT  IN   IDEAL  THINKING. 

But  seek  ye  first  his  kingdom,  and  his  righteous- 
ness; and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you.— 
Mat.  6:  33. 

The  kingdom  of  God  is  a  spiritual  kingdom  within 
man  and  manifests  through  man  as  the  spiritual  life. 
His  righteousness  is  the  right  use  of  all  that  is  con- 
tained in  the  elements  of  the  spiritual  life.  The 
spiritual  life  being  the  complete  life,  the  full  ex- 
pression of  life  in  body,  mind  and  soul,  it  is  evident 
that  the  right  use  of  the  spiritual  life  will  produce 
and  bring  everything  that  man  may  need  or  desire. 
The  source  of  everything  has  the  power  to  produce 
everything,  provided  the  power  within  that  source 
is  used  according  to  exact  spiritual  law.  The  spirit- 
ual like  being  the  source  of  all  that  is  necessary  to 
a  full  and  perfect  life,  and  the  kingdom  within  being 
the  source  of  the  spiritual  life,  we  can  readily  un- 
derstand why  the  kingdom  should  be  sought  first; 
and  also  why  everything  that  we  may  require  will 
be  added  when  the  first  thought  is  given  to  spiritual 
living,  ideal  thinking  and  righteous  action.  Right- 
eous action,  however,  does  not  simply  imply  moral 

61 


62 


action,  but  the  right  use  of  the  elements  of  life  in 
all  action. 

The  kingdom  of  God  is  the  spiritual  side  of  all 
things.  This  spiritual  side  is  within  the  manifested 
or  visible  side;  that  is,  everything  is  filled  with  an 
inner,  finer  something  that  is  perfect  and  complete. 
Every  part  of  the  outer  world  is  filled  and  permeated 
with  an  inner  world,  and  everything  that  appears  in 
the  outer  world  is  a  partial  manifestation  or  expres- 
sion of  what  exists  in  a  perfect  and  complete  state 
in  the  inner  world.  This  inner  world  is  the  king- 
dom referred  to,  and  as  it  is  inexhaustible  in  every 
sense  of  that  term,  there  is  nothing  we  cannot  re- 
ceive when  we  learn  to  draw  upon  the  riches  of  this 
vast  inner  realm.  In  the  life  of  man  we  have  the 
outer  and  the  inner  worlds ;  the  personal  life  in  the 
without  and  the  great  spiritual  life  in  the  within. 
What  appears  in  the  outer  world  of  man,  that  is,  in 
his  personal  existence,  is  the  result  of  what  he  has 
sought  and  brought  forth  from  his  inner  world. 
According  to  one  of  the  greatest  of  metaphysical 
laws  we  express  whatever  we  become  conscious  of. 
We,  therefore,  understand  clearly  why  the  personal 
man,  or  his  outer  world,  is  the  direct  result  of  what 
he  has  become  conscious  of  in  his  interior  world. 
Man  is  what  he  is  in  the  without,  because  he  has 
sought  the  corresponding  elements  in  the  within, 
and  he  may  change  the  without  in  any  manner  de- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  63 

sired  by  seeking  first  in  the  within  those  qualities 
and  attributes  that  he  may  desire. 

To  seek  and  find  the  within  is  to  become  conscious 
of  the  within,  and  what  is  thus  sought  and  found 
will  express  itself  in  personal  life ;  but  its  real  value 
will  depend  upon  whether  it  is  properly  used  or  not. 
To  seek  the  richer  kingdom  within  is  the  first  essen- 
tial, but  to  promote  the  righteous  use  of  these  greater 
riches  is  the  second  essential,  and  is  just  as  import- 
ant as  the  first.  To  give  the  first  thought  at  all  times 
to  the  great  spiritual  kingdom  within,  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  withdraw  attention  from  the  outer  world  nor 
to  deny  one's  self  the  good  tilings  that  may  exist 
in  the  outer  world.  To  seek  the  kingdom  first  is  to 
give  one's  strongest  thought  to  the  spiritual  life, 
and  to  make  spiritual  thought  the  predominating 
thought  in  everything  that  one  may  do  in  life;  in 
other  words,  live  so  closely  to  the  spiritual  kingdom 
within  that  you  are  fully  conscious  of  that  kingdom 
every  moment,  and  depend  absolutely  upon  supreme 
power  to  carry  you  through  whatever  you  may  un- 
dertake to  do.  To  seek  the  kingdom  first  the  heart 
must  be  in  the  spirit;  that  is,  to  live  in  the  full  re- 
alization of  the  inner  spiritual  life  at  all  times  must 
be  the  one  predominating  desire.  However,  the  men- 
tal conception  of  the  spiritual  life  must  not  be  nar- 
row, but  must  contain  the  perfection  of  everything 
that  can  possibly  appear  in  life. 

To  think  of  the  spiritual  life  as  being  distinct 


64  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

from  mind  and  body,  is  to  prevent  the  elements  of 
the  great  interior  life  from  being  expressed  in  mind 
and  body,  and  what  is  not  expressed  cannot  be  lived. 
The  spiritual  life  in  this  larger  sense  must  be  thor- 
oughly lived  in  mind  and  body.  The  power  of  the 
spiritual  must  be  made  the  soul  of  all  power,  and 
the  law  of  spiritual  action  must  be  made  the  rule 
and  the  guide  in  all  action.  When  the  spiritual  is 
lived  in  all  life  the  richness  and  the  quality  and 
the  worth  of  the  spiritual  will  be  expressed  in  all 
life,  and  spiritual  worth  means  the  sum-total  of  all 
worth.  There  are  any  number  of  minds  in  the  world 
who  now  realize  this  greater  worth  and  who  have 
found  the  spiritual  riches  within  to  an  extraordinary 
degree,  but  they  have  not  in  every  instance  sought 
righteousness ;  therefore,  these  spiritual  riches  have 
been  of  no  use;  frequently  they  have  become  ob- 
stacles in  the  living  of  a  life  of  personal  welfare  and 
growth. 

Real  righteousness  means  right  living  and  exact 
scientific  thinking;  that  is,  the  correct  expression 
of  everything  of  which  we  are  now  conscious.  To 
be  righteous  does  not  simply  mean  to  be  moral  and 
truthful  and  just,  but  to  live  in  harmony  with  all 
laws,  physical,  mental,  moral  and  spiritual.  To  be 
in  harmony  with  physical  law,  is  to  adapt  one's  self 
orderly  to  everything  in  the  external  world;  to  re- 
sist no  exterior  force,  but  to  constructively  use  every 
exterior  force  in  such  a  manner  that  perpetual 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  65 

physical  development  may  take  place.  To  be  in 
harmony  with  mental  laws  is  to  promote  scientific 
thinking ;  that  is,  to  think  the  truth  about  everything 
and  to  see  everything  from  the  universal  viewpoint. 
Scientific  thinking  is  that  mode  of  thinking  that 
causes  all  the  forces  of  mind  and  thought  to  con- 
stantly work  for  greater  things.  To  be  in  harmony 
with  moral  laws  is  to  live  a  life  of  complete  purity ; 
and  purity  in  the  true  sense  of  the  term  is  the  doing 
of  all  things  at  the  right  time,  in  the  right  place  and 
with  the  right  motive;  in  other  words,  every  action 
is  a  pure  action  that  leads  to  higher  and  better 
things.  All  other  actions  are  not  pure,  therefore 
not  moral.  To  be  in  harmony  with  spiritual  laws 
is  to  live  in  constant  conscious  touch  with  the  inner 
or  higher  side  of  everything.  To  apply  the  spirit- 
ual law  is  to  seek  the  spiritual  first,  no  matter  what 
the  goal  in  view  may  be;  to  seek  first  the  spiritual 
counterpart  that  is  within  everything,  to  make  the 
spiritual  thought  the  predominating  thought  and 
to  dwell  constantly  in  the  spiritual  attitude.  We 
enter  the  spiritual  attitude  when  we  enter  the  upper 
story  of  the  mind  and  mentally  face  that  supreme 
side  of  life  that  is  created  in  the  likeness  of  the  Su- 
preme. Briefly  stated,  to  be  righteous  is  to  be  in 
harmony  with  the  outer  side  of  life,  to  think  the 
truth,  to  live  in  real  purity,  to  dwell  on  the  spiritual 
heights  and  to  give  full  and  complete  expression  to 
the  highest  and  the  best  of  which  we  are  now  con- 


66  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

scions.  "When  this  is  done  we  shall  rightly  manifest 
whatever  we  may  find  in  the  kingdom  within.  Right- 
eousness, however,  is  not  a  definite  goal  but  a  per- 
petual process  of  attainment  that  involves  the  entire 
being  of  man.  The  righteous  man  is  right  and  per- 
fect as  far  as  he  has  ascended  in  the  scale  of  life  at 
present,  though  not  simply  in  a  moral  sense,  but  in 
every  sense,  including  body,  mind  and  soul. 

The  righteous  man  is  never  weak,  never  sick, 
and  is  never  in  a  state  of  discord  or  disorder.  This 
is  a  great  truth  that  we  should  not  fail  to  remember. 
Sickness,  weakness,  discord  and  all  other  adverse 
conditions  come  from  the  violation  of  law  somewhere 
in  human  life,  but  the  righteous  man  violates  no 
law.  He  is  true  to  life  as  far  as  he  has  ascended 
in  the  scale  of  life.  To  be  righteous  in  the  absolute 
sense  of  the  term  is  to  use  everything  in  our  pres- 
ent world  as  God  uses  everything  in  His  world, 
which  means  in  harmony  with  its  own  nature,  in  har- 
mony with  its  sphere  of  action,  and  in  harmony 
with  that  law  that  leads  upward  and  onward  for- 
ever. Righteous  action  is  that  action  that  is  always 
harmonious  and  that  always  works  for  better  things, 
greater  things,  higher  things.  The  great  majority 
of  those  minds  that  are  awakened  to  the  reality  of 
the  spiritual  side  of  things  have  already  found  an 
abundance  of  good  things  in  the  vast  interior  life 
that  is  ready  for  manifestation  in  personal  life,  but 
as  most  of  these  have  neglected  the  law  of  real  right- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  67 

eousness  this  abundance  remains  inactive  in  the  po- 
tential state  and  all  other  things  as  promised  are 
not  added.  That  all  other  things  -will  be  added  when 
His  kingdom  and  His  righteousness  are  sought  first 
may  not  seem  clear  to  everybody,  because  the  king- 
dom of  God  has  been  looked  upon  as  a  far  away 
place  that  we  are  to  enter  when  we  leave  the  body, 
and  righteousness  has  been  looked  upon  as  simply 
a  moral,  just  and  honest  mode  of  living.  But  when 
we  realize  that  the  kingdom  is  the  great  spiritual 
world  within  us,  and  that  from  this  world  comes  all 
wisdom,  all  power,  all  talent,  all  life ;  in  brief,  every- 
thing that  we  now  possess  in  body,  mind  and  soul, 
and  that  everything  we  are  to  receive  in  the  future 
must  come  from  the  same  source,  we  understand 
clearly  why  the  kingdom  must  be  sought  first. 

We  cannot  secure  anything  unless  we  go  to  the 
source,  and  the  spiritual  kingdom  within  us  is  the 
one  only  source  of  everything  that  is  manifested  in 
human  life.  When  we  desire  more  wisdom  and  a 
greater  understanding  it  is  evident  that  we  can  ob- 
tain these  things  only  by  entering  real  mental  light, 
and  that  light  is  within  us  in  the  spirit.  By  enter- 
ing into  the  consciousness  of  the  illumined  world 
within  we  naturally  receive  more  light.  We,  our- 
selves, become  illumined  to  a  degree,  frequently  to 
a  great  degree,  and  we  thus  gain  the  power  to  under- 
stand perfectly  what  we  could  neither  desire  nor 
comprehend  before.  When  we  seek  more  life  and 


68  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

power  we  can  find  the  greater  life  only  in  the  eternal 
life,  and  the  eternal  life  is  the  life  of  the  spirit  in 
the  kingdom  within. 

"They  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their 
strength.'*  To  wait  upon  the  Lord  is  to  enter  into 
the  spiritual  presence  of  the  Infinite,  and  whenever 
we  enter  into  the  presence  of  the  Infinite  we  enter 
into  the  life  of  the  Infinite  and  we  are  thus  filled 
through  and  through  with  the  supreme  power  of 
that  life.  When  we  enter  into  the  spiritual  king- 
dom within  we  enter  into  the  Christ  consciousness 
and  in  that  consciousness  we  receive  the  life  more 
abundant,  because  to  be  in  the  Christ  consciousness 
is  to  be  in  the  very  spirit  of  the  limitless  life  of  the 
Christ.  "When  we  seek  health  we  can  find  it  in  the 
kingdom,  because  in  the  spirit  all  is  always  well. 
There  is  a  realm  within  man  where  perfect  health 
reigns  supremely  and  eternally.  In  that  realm 
everything  is  always  perfectly  whole  and  to  enter 
into  that  realm  is  to  enter  into  absolute  health  and 
wholeness.  No  one  who  lives  constantly  in  the  spirit 
can  possibly  be  sick,  because  sickness  can  no  more 
enter  the  spiritual  state  than  darkness  can  enter 
where  there  is  absolute  light.  To  enter  the  kingdom 
within  is  to  enter  health,  happiness  and  harmony  in 
the  highest,  largest  degree;  therefore,  by  seeking 
the  kingdom,  health  will  be  added,  happiness  will 
be  added,  harmony  will  be  added.  It  is  impossible, 
however,  to  gain  health,  happiness  and  harmony,  in 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  69 

the  true  sense,  from  any  other  source.  But  to  seek 
these  qualities  in  the  kingdom  is  not  sufficient.  We 
must  also  seek  righteousness  or  the  right  expres- 
sions of  those  things.  If  we  misuse  any  organ,  fac- 
ulty, function  or  power  anywhere  in  body,  mind  or 
soul,  we  cannot  remain  in  health,  no  matter  how 
spiritual  we  may  try  to  be. 

To  enter  the  kingdom  within  is  to  enter  the  per- 
petual increase  of  power,  because  there  is  no  limit  to 
the  power  of  the  spirit,  and  the  more  power  we  enter 
into  or  become  conscious  of  the  more  power  we  shall 
give  to  mind  and  body;  in  consequence,  the  more 
spiritual  we  become  the  stronger  we  become,  the 
more  able  we  become,  the  more  competent  we  become 
and  the  more  we  can  accomplish  whatever  our  work 
may  be ;  and  he  who  can  do  good  work  in  the  world 
invariably  receives  the  good  things  of  the  world.  To 
his  life  will  be  added  all  those  things  that  can  make 
personal  existence  rich  and  beautiful.  To  enter  the 
kingdom  within  is  to  enter  the  life  of  freedom. 
There  is  no  bondage  in  the  spirit,  and  as  we  grow  in 
the  spirit  we  grow  out  of  every  form  of  bondage. 
One  adverse  condition  after  another  disappears  un- 
til absolute  freedom  is  gained.  Therefore,  when  we 
seek  first  His  kingdom  and  His  righteousness  we 
shall  find  the  life  of  complete  emancipation.  Per- 
fect freedom  in  all  things  and  at  all  times  will  posi- 
tively be  added. 

There  are  thousands  of  aspiring  souls  in  this  age 


70  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

that  are  trying  to  develop  their  powers  and  tal- 
ents 30  that  they  might  be  of  greater  use  in  the 
world,  but  if  these  would  seek  the  kingdom  first,  they 
would  find  within  themselves  the  real  source  of 
every  talent ;  and  as  the  only  way  to  permanently  in- 
crease anything  is  to  increase  the  expressions  of  its 
source  we  understand  perfectly  why  greatness  can 
come  only  when  we  begin  to  live  in  the  great  within. 
We  must  always  bear  in  mind  that  what  we  become 
conscious  of  we  bring  forth  into  personal  expression, 
but  we  cannot  become  conscious  of  the  larger  source 
of  any  quality  or  talent  unless  we  enter  into  the 
spirit  of  that  quality  and  talent,  and  as  the  spirit  of 
all  things  has  its  source  of  real  existence  in  the  king- 
dom within,  we  must  enter  this  interior  world  if  we 
wish  to  become  conscious  of  a  larger  and  a  larger 
measure  of  those  things  that  we  wish  to  express. 

That  any  person  can  improve  his  environment  or 
overcome  poverty  by  seeking  the  kingdom  first  may 
not  seem  possible,  but  the  truth  is  that  adverse  con- 
ditions will  positively  disappear  after  one  begins  to 
actually  live  the  full  spiritual  life.  Poverty  has  two 
causes ;  lack  of  ability  and  the  misplacing  of  ability. 
To  improve  ability  to  any  degree  the  within  must  be 
awakened.  We  must  learn  to  draw  upon  the  inex- 
haustible sources  of  the  inner  life  and  become  con- 
scious of  the  greater  capacity  that  lies  latent  within 
us.  This  is  accomplished  by  seeking  the  kingdom 
first.  By  giving  your  first  thought,  your  predom- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  71 

inating  thought  to  the  great  and  mighty  world 
within,  your  mind  will  gradually  enter  more  deeply 
into  the  life  of  this  inner  world.  You  thus  become 
conscious  of  the  larger  powers  within,  because  con- 
sciousness always  follows  the  predominating 
thought.  What  you  think  of  the  most  develops  in 
yourself.  When  you  think  the  most  of  the  spiritual, 
consciousness  will  follow  your  spiritual  thought  and 
thus  enter  more  deeply  into  the  spirit.  The  result  is 
you  become  conscious  of  a  larger  spiritual  domain 
every  day,  you  become  conscious  of  a  greater  capac- 
ity within  yourself  every  day,  and  since  you  always 
express  what  you  become  conscious  of  you  will  cause 
greater  ability  and  capacity  to  be  developed  and  ex- 
pressed in  yourself  every  day;  you  thereby  remove 
the  first  cause  of  poverty  and  place  yourself  in  a 
position  where  you  will  be  in  greater  demand,  and 
the  greater  the  demand  for  your  service  the  greater 
will  be  your  recompense. 

There  are  a  number  of  people  who  have  misplaced 
their  talents  that  may  have  considerable  ability,  but 
they  are  not  in  the  work  for  which  they  are  adapted, 
and  therefore  do  not  succeed.  They  may  have  been 
forced  into  their  present  positions  by  necessity,  or 
they  may  have  chosen  their  present  places  through 
inferior  judgment,  but  both  of  these  causes  may  be 
changed  by  seeking  the  kingdom  first.  When  we  en- 
ter the  spiritual  everything  clears  up.  We  not  only 
see  our  mistakes,  but  also  how  to  correct  them; 


72  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

therefore,  if  you  are  in  the  wrong  place,  enter  the 
spiritual  light  of  the  kingdom  within,  and  you  will 
see  clearly  where  you  belong.  If  you  do  not  know 
whether  you  are  in  the  proper  sphere  or  not,  enter 
the  spirit.  Constantly  live  in  the  spirit  and  you  will 
soon  know;  you  will  also  know  when  and  how  to 
change.  By  entering  this  state  where  the  outlook  is 
infinitely  greater  you  will  see  opportunities,  open 
doors,  possibilities,  and  pastures  green  that  you 
never  saw  before,  and  you  will  also  see  clearly  which 
one  you  have  the  power  and  the  capacity  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  now.  If  you  have  been  forced  into  the 
wrong  place  by  necessity,  the  larger  mental  life  that 
will  come  when  you  seek  the  kingdom  will  give  you 
the  power  to  command  something  better,  and  the  su- 
perior wisdom  that  comes  through  the  light  of  the 
spirit  will  guide  you  in  your  choice.  Instead  of  ad- 
versity and  constant  need  you  will  have  peace,  har- 
mony and  abundance.  You  will  pass  from  the  world 
of  poverty  and  limitations  to  a  world  that  can  offer 
a  future  as  brilliant  as  the  sun. 

The  man  who  fights  adversity  and  complains  of 
his  lot  will  continue  in  poverty  and  need.  He  will 
remain  in  mental  darkness ;  he  will  be  daily  misled, 
and  will  always  be  doing  the  wrong  thing  at  the 
wrong  time.  Such  a  life  breeds  ill  luck  and  misfor- 
tune and  perpetuates  the  poverty  that  already  ex- 
ists. However,  let  this  person  enter  into  harmony 
with  his  present  fate,  count  everything  joy,  and 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  73 

realize  that  he  can  make  his  present  misfortune  a 
stepping-stone  to  better  things ;  then  let  him  give  his 
first  thought  to  the  kingdom,  to  the  greater  life  and 
power  and  capacity  within,  to  the  superior  creative 
powers  of  his  own  mind,  those  powers  that  are  able 
even  now  to  create  for  him  a  better  fate,  if  he  will 
but  place  before  them  a  better  pattern;  the  results 
will  be  peace  of  mind  first,  then  hope  of  the  better, 
then  the  vision  of  great  changes  near  at  hand,  then 
the  faith  that  the  new  life,  the  new  time  and  the  bet- 
ter days  are  now  being  created  for  his  world.  And 
when  a  person  begins  to  inwardly  feel  that  things 
are  taking  a  turn,  that  better  days  are  coming  and 
that  the  good  is  beginning  to  accumulate  in  his  life, 
the  victory  is  nearly  won.  A  little  more  faith  and 
perseverance  and  the  crowning  day  is  at  hand. 
From  that  moment  all  things  will  begin  to  work  to- 
gether for  good  things  and  for  still  greater  things, 
providing  the  mind  is  held  in  constant  conscious 
touch  with  the  spiritual  kingdom  within,  and  all  the 
laws  of  life  are  employed  according  to  the  highest 
ideal  of  righteousness. 

Many  a  person,  however,  has  failed  while  on  the 
very  verge  of  his  victory,  because  he  neglected  the 
kingdom  when  he  began  to  see  the  change  coming. 
By  giving  his  first  thought  to  the  material  benefits 
that  he  expected  to  secure,  his  consciousness  is  taken 
away  from  the  spirit  and  becomes  confused  in  those 
things  that  had  not  as  yet  been  placed  in  the  true 


74  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

order  of  perpetual  increase.  The  result  is  a  scatter- 
ing of  forces  and  Ms  loss  upon  the  hold  of  the  good 
things  that  were  beginning  to  gravitate  towards  his 
world.  While  ascending  this  upward  path  we  must 
at  every  step  keep  the  eye  single  upon  the  kingdom, 
upon  the  spiritual,  upon  the  larger  and  the  higher 
life  within.  When  the  other  things  are  being  added 
we  must  not  forget  the  kingdom  and  give  our  first 
thoughts  to  the  other  things.  We  shall  enjoy  these 
other  things  so  much  the  more,  if  we  continue  to  give 
the  first  thought  to  the  spirit.  This  is  evident,  be- 
cause while  giving  the  first  thought  to  the  spirit 
everything  that  comes  into  our  world  will  be  spirit- 
ualized, refined  and  perfected,  and  will  thus  be  given 
added  power  and  worth.  When  we  continue  to  give 
the  first  thought  to  the  spiritual  kingdom  those  other 
things  that  are  added  will  enter  our  world  at  their 
best  and  we  shall  thus  receive  the  best  that  those 
things  may  have  to  give. 

We  are  always  at  our  best  when  we  are  on  the 
heights,  and  we  gain  the  power  to  create,  produce 
and  attract  those  things  from  every  part  of  life  that 
correspond  to  the  life  on  the  heights.  Therefore,  by 
living  on  the  heights  in  the  spiritual  kingdom  we 
gain  everything  that  we  may  require;  we  gain  the 
best  of  everything  that  we  may  require,  and  we  are 
in  that  condition  where  we  can  make  the  best  use  of 
what  oomes,  and  enjoy  what  comes  to  the  highest 
and  most  perfect  degree.  We  can  thus  readily  un- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  75 

derstand  that  when  we  seek  the  kingdom  of  God  con- 
stantly, giving  our  first  thought  to  the  spiritual  and 
seeking  to  live  righteously  according  to  this  larger 
view  of  righteousness,  all  problems  of  life  will  be 
solved.  All  the  crooked  paths  of  life  will  be  made 
straight;  obstacles  will  disappear;  our  circum- 
stances will  change  to  correspond  with  our  ideas, 
and  we  will  daily  enter  into  a  better  life  and  a 
greater  state  of  existence  than  we  ever  knew  before. 
The  problems  of  the  world  can  be  solved  in  the  same 
way.  Therefore,  the  greatest  thing  that  we  can  do 
for  the  human  race  is  to  make  clear  this  law,  that  is, 
the  law  through  which  His  kingdom  and  His  right- 
eousness may  be  sought  first  by  any  individual,  no 
matter  what  the  degree  of  that  individual's  under- 
standing may  be.  To  promote  a  real  spiritual  move- 
ment on  the  largest  possible  scale  is  to  cause  the  ills 
of  humanity  to  gradually,  but  surely,  pass  away. 
This  planet  will  then  become,  not  a  vale  of  tears,  but 
what  it  is  intended  to  be,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  re- 
alized upon  earth. 

The  human  race,  however,  is  the  product  of 
human  thought;  therefore,  the  prime  essential  is 
to  inspire  the  human  mind  with  the  power  to  give 
His  kingdom  and  His  righteousness  the  first  thought. 
To  make  the  ideal  real  upon  earth,  all  thinking  must 
be  ideal ;  and  to  cause  all  things  to  become  ideal  the 
foundation  of  all  things  must  be  based  upon  pure 
spiritual  thought ;  that  is,  every  thought  that  is  cre- 
ated in  the  mind  must  be  animated  with  this  great 


76  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

first  thought,  the  thought  of  the  kingdom  within  and 
the  full  righteous  expression  of  that  kingdom. 

When  we  seek  first  the  kingdom  and  his  righteous- 
ness all  other  things  are  added,  not  in  some  mysteri- 
ous manner,  nor  do  they  come  of  themselves  regard- 
less of  conscious  effort  to  work  in  harmony  with  the 
law  of  life.  We  receive  from  the  kingdom  only  what 
we  are  prepared  to  use  in  the  living  of  a  great  life 
and  in  the  doing  of  great  and  worthy  things  in  the 
world.  We  receive  only  in  proportion  to  what  we 
give,  and  it  is  only  as  we  work  well  that  we  produce 
great  results;  but  by  entering  the  spiritual  life  we 
receive  everything  that  we  may  require  in  order  to 
give  as  much  as  we  may  desire,  to  do  as  much  as  we 
may  desire.  We  gain  the  power  and  the  talent  to  do 
everything  that  is  necessary  to  give  worth  and  su- 
periority to  our  entire  state  of  existence.  When  we 
enter  the  spiritual  life  we  gain  every  quality  that  is 
necessary  in  making  life  full  and  complete  now,  and 
we  gain  the  power  to  produce  and  create  in  the  ex- 
ternal world  whatever  we  may  need  or  desire.  In 
other  words,  we  receive  everything  we  want  from 
within  and  we  gain  the  power  to  produce  everything 
we  want  in  the  without.  We,  therefore,  need  never 
take  anxious  thought  about  these  other  things.  By 
seeking  first  His  kingdom  and  His  righteousness  we 
shall  positively  receive  these  other  things.  The  way 
will  be  open  to  all  that  is  rich,  beautiful  and  superior 
in  life,  and  we  shall  be  abundantly  supplied  with  the 
best  that  life  can  give. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  IDEAL.  AND  THE  REAL  MADE  ONE. 

When  the  elements  of  the  ideal  are  blended  har- 
moniously with  the  elements  of  the  real  the  two  be- 
come one;  the  ideal  becomes  real  and  the  real  gives 
expression  to  the  qualities  of  the  ideal.  To  be  in 
harmony  with  everything  at  all  times  and  under  all 
circumstances  is  therefore  one  of  the  great  essen- 
tials in  the  living  of  that  life  that  is  constantly  mak- 
ing real  a  larger  and  larger  measure  of  the  ideal; 
and  so  extremely  important  is  continuous  harmony 
that  nothing  should  be  permitted  to  produce  confu- 
sion or  discord  for  the  slightest  moment.  Discord 
wastes  energy,  while  harmony  accumulates  energy. 
If  we  wish  to  be  strong  in  mind  and  body  and  do  the 
best  possible  work,  harmony  is  absolutely  necessary 
and  we  must  be  in  the  best  possible  condition  to 
make  real  the  ideal.  The  person  who  lives  in  perpet- 
ual harmony  with  everything  will  accomplish  from 
ten  to  one  hundred  per  cent  more  than  the  average 
during  any  given  period  of  time ;  a  fact  that  gives 
the  elements  of  harmony  a  most  important  place  in 
life.  When  harmony  is  absent  there  is  always  a 
great  deal  of  mental  confusion,  and  a  confused  mind 

77 


78  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

can  never  think  clearly,  therefore  makes  mistakes 
constantly.  To  establish  complete  and  continuous 
mental  harmony  will  reduce  mistakes  to  a  minimum 
in  any  mind;  another  fact  that  makes  the  attain- 
ment of  harmony  one  of  the  great  attainments. 

The  mind  that  is  living  in  continuous  harmony  is 
realizing  a  great  measure  of  heaven  upon  earth  re- 
gardless of  his  personal  attainments  or  external 
possessions.  He  has  made  real  that  ideal  something 
that  makes  existence  thoroughly  worth  while,  and  he 
is  rich  indeed.  To  live  in  harmony  is  to  gain  the  joy 
everlasting,  the  contentment  that  is  based  upon  the 
real  value  of  life,  and  that  satisfaction  that  grows 
larger  and  better  for  every  day  that  passes  by.  On 
the  other  hand,  to  live  in  discord  is  to  live  in  perpet- 
ual torment,  even  though  our  personal  attainments 
may  be  great  and  our  personal  possessions  as  large 
as  any  mind  could  wish. 

To  live  the  good  life,  the  ideal  life,  the  beautiful 
life,  we  must  be  at  peace  with  all  things,  including 
ourselves,  and  every  thought,  word  and  deed  must  be 
harmonious.  Whatever  we  wish  to  do  or  be  it  is  wis- 
dom to  make  any  sacrifice  necessary  for  the  sake  of 
harmony,  although  that  which  we  sacrifice  for  the 
sake  of  harmony  is  not  a  sacrifice.  When  we  enter 
into  harmony  we  will  regain  everything  that  we 
were  willing  to  lose  in  order  that  we  might  possess 
harmony.  When  we  establish  ourselves  in  perfect 
harmony  we  shall  be  reunited  with  everything  that 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  79 

we  hold  near  and  dear  and  the  new  unity  will  be  far 
sweeter,  far  more  beautiful  than  the  one  we  had  be- 
fore. "My  own  shall  come  to  me'*  is  a  favorite  ex- 
pression among  all  those  who  believe  that  every 
ideal  can  be  made  real,  and  many  of  these  are  wait- 
ing and  watching  for  their  own  to  come,  wondering 
in  the  meantime  what  can  be  done  to  hasten  that 
coming.  There  are  many  things  to  be  done,  however, 
but  one  of  the  most  important  is  the  attainment  of 
harmony.  No  person  who  lives  in  perpetual  har- 
mony will  be  deprived  very  long  of  his  own  whatever 
that  own  may  be.  Whatever  you  deserve,  whatever 
you  are  entitled  to,  whatever  belongs  to  you  will 
soon  appear  in  your  world,  if  you  are  living  in  per- 
fect harmony. 

To  enter  harmony  is  to  enter  a  new  world  where 
everything  is  better,  where  opportunities  are 
greater  and  more  numerous,  and  where  persons,  con- 
ditions and  things  are  more  agreeable.  You  will  not 
only  enter  a  better  world,  however,  but  the  attitude 
of  harmony  will  relate  your  life  so  perfectly  to  the 
good  things  in  all  worlds  that  may  exist  about  you, 
that  the  best  from  every  source  will  naturally  gravi- 
tate towards  your  sphere  of  existence.  But  harmony 
will  not  only  cause  the  good  things  of  life  to  gravi- 
tate towards  you;  it  will  also  cause  you  to  radiate 
the  good  qualities  in  3^our  own  being  and  thus  be- 
come a  perpetual  benediction  to  everybody.  To  be 
in  the  presence  of  a  person  who  dwells  serenely  in 


80  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

the  beautiful  calm  is,  indeed,  a  privilege,  especially 
to  those  who  can  appreciate  the  finer  elements  of  a 
truly  harmonious  life.  Whenever  we  are  in  touch 
with  real  harmony,  whether  it  comes  from  the 
music  of  human  life,  the  music  of  nature  or  the 
music  of  the  spheres,  we  are  one  step  nearer  the 
Beautiful.  We  can  therefore  realize  the  great  value 
of  being  able  to  actually  live  in  perfect  harmony  at 
all  times.  The  life  of  harmony  is  the  foundation  of 
happiness  and  health  and  is  one  of  the  greatest  es- 
sentials to  achievement  and  real  success.  When  we 
look  into  the  past  we  can  always  find  that  our  fail- 
ures originated  in  confusion;  likewise  our  troubles 
and  ills.  On  the  other  hand,  all  the  good  things  that 
have  happened  to  us  in  the  past,  or  that  are  happen- 
ing in  the  present,  had  their  origin  and  their  growth 
in  the  elements  of  continuous  harmony;  the  ideal 
and  the  real  were  made  one,  and  we  consequently 
reached  the  goals  we  had  in  view. 

The  mind  that  works  in  perpetual  harmony  does 
more  work  and  far  better  work  than  is  possible  in 
any  other  condition ;  besides,  harmonious  work  is  in- 
variably conducive  to  higher  development  and 
growth.  To  work  in  harmony  is  to  promote  increase 
and  development  in  all  the  qualities  and  powers  of 
the  personality;  while  to  work  in  confusion  is  to 
weaken  the  entire  system  and  thus  originate  causes 
that  will  terminate  in  failure.  The  majority  state 
that  they  have  no  time  for  self-development,  but  to 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  81 

live  in  harmony  and  work  in  harmony  is  to  promote 
self-development  every  moment,  and  this  develop- 
ment will  not  be  confined  simply  to  those  muscles  or 
faculties  that  we  use  directly,  but  will  express  itself 
throughout  the  entire  system;  and  the  mind  espe- 
cially will,  under  such  conditions,  steadily  gain  both 
in  power  and  in  worth.  In  the  presence  of  these 
facts  we  can  realize  readily  that  no  person  can  af- 
ford to  permit  discord,  disturbance  or  confusion  at 
any  time.  The  many  declare,  however,  that  they  can- 
not help  it,  but  we  must  help  it  and  we  can.  There 
is  no  reason  why  our  minds  should  be  excited  or  our 
nerves  upset  at  any  time.  We  can  prevent  this  just 
as  easily  as  we  can  refuse  to  eat  what  we  do  not 
want. 

To  proceed,  we  must  apply  exact  reason  to  this 
great  subject.  We  should  learn  to  understand  that  no 
wrong  will  be  righted  because  we  permit  ourselves 
to  "fly  to  pieces;"  also  that  the  act  of  becoming 
nervous  over  a  trouble  will  never  drive  that  trouble 
away.  To  live  in  a  constant  strain  will  not  promote 
our  purpose  nor  arrange  matters  the  way  we  want 
them.  This  is  a  fact  that  we  should  impress  deeply 
upon  our  minds,  and  then  impress  our  minds  to  take 
another  and  a  better  course.  The  average  person 
feels  that  it  is  a  religious  duty  to  be  as  excited  as 
possible,  and  to  string  up  all  his  nerves  as  high  as 
possible,  whenever  he  is  passing  through  some  ex- 
ceptional event;  in  consequence,  he  spoils  all  or 


82  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

practically  all  of  that  which  might  have  been  gained ; 
besides,  he  places  his  system  in  a  condition  where  all 
sorts  of  ills  may  gain  a  foothold.  There  are  many 
reasons  why  such  a  large  number  of  undertakings 
fail,  but  one  of  the  principal  reasons  is  found  in  the 
fact  that  few  people  have  learned  to  retain  perfect 
harmony  under  all  kinds  of  circumstances.  Discord 
and  confusion  are  usually  present  to  a  great  degree, 
and  in  consequence,  something  almost  invariably 
goes  wrong.  But  when  a  person  is  in  perfect  har- 
mony and  does  his  very  best,  he  will  succeed  at  least 
in  a  measure  every  time,  and  he  will  thus  prepare 
himself  for  the  greater  opportunities  that  are  sure 
to  follow.  To  believe  that  intelligent,  well  educated 
people  almost  daily  break  down  over  mere  trifles  is 
not  mere  simplicity,  but  the  fact  that  it  is  the  truth 
leads  us  to  question  why.  Intelligence  and  educa- 
tion should  give  those  who  possess  it  the  power  to 
know  better.  Modern  education,  however,  does  not 
teach  us  how  to  use  ourselves.  We  have  learned 
how  to  mix  material  substances  so  as  to  satisfy 
every  imaginable  taste,  and  we  have  learned  how  to 
use  the  tangible  forces  of  nature  so  as  to  construct 
almost  anything  we  like  in  the  physical  world,  but 
we  have  not  learned  how  to  combine  the  elements  of 
mind  so  as  to  produce  health,  happiness,  strength, 
brilliancy  and  harmony  whenever  we  may  so  desire. 
A  few,  however,  have  made  the  attempt,  but  the  ele- 
ments of  the  mind  will  not  combine  for  greater  effi- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  83 

i 

ciency  and  higher  states  of  expression  unless  the 
mind  is  in  perfect  harmony. 

We  have  all  learned  to  remember,  but  few  have 
learned  to  think.    To  repeat  verbatim  what  others 
have  thought  and  said  is  counted  knowledge  and 
with  such  borrowed  knowledge  the  majority  imagine 
they  are  satisfied,  the  reason  being  they  have  not 
discovered  the  art  of  thinking  thoughts  of  their  own. 
This  is  an  art  that  every  person  must  learn ;  the 
sooner  the  better,  if  the  ideal  is  to  be  made  real. 
Original  thinking  is  the  secret  of  all  greatness,  all 
high  attainments,   all   extraordinary   achievements 
and  all  superior  states  of  being;  but  no  mind  can 
create  original  thought  until  a  high  state  of  mental 
harmony  is  attained.    To  produce  mental  harmony 
we  must  first  bear  in  mind  the  great  fact  that  it  is 
not  what  happens  that  disturbs  us,  but  the  way  we 
think  about  that  which  happens;  and  our  thought 
about  anything  depends  upon  our  point  of  view. 
The  way  we  look  at  things  will  determine  whether 
the  experience  will  produce  discord  or  harmony,  and 
it  is  in  our  power  to  look  at  things  in  any  way  that 
we  may  desire.    When  we  are  face  to  face  with  those 
things  that  usually  upset  the  mind  we  should  imme- 
diately turn  our  attention  upon  the  life  and  the 
power  that  is  back  of  the  disturbing  element,  having 
the  desire  to  find  the  better  side  of  that  life  and 
power  constantly  in  view.    Everything  has  its  bet- 
ter side,  its  ideal  side,  its  calm  and  undisturbed  side, 


84  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

and  a  mere  desire  to  gain  a  glimpse  of  that  better 
side  will  turn  the  mind  away  from  confusion  and 
cause  attention  to  be  centered  upon  that  calm  state 
that  is  being  sought.  This  will  decrease  discord  at 
once,  and  if  applied  the  very  moment  we  are  aware 
of  confusion  we  will  entirely  prevent  any  mental  dis- 
turbance whatever.  To  meet  all  circumstances  and 
events  in  this  way  is  to  develop  in  ourselves  a  har- 
monious attitude  towards  all  things,  and  when  we 
are  established  in  this  harmonious  attitude  nothing 
whatever  disturbs  us;  no  matter  what  may  happen 
we  will  continue  to  remain  in  harmony,  and  will  con- 
sequently be  able  to  deal  properly  with  whatever 
may  happen. 

The  mind  that  is  upset  by  confused  circumstances 
will  lose  ground  and  fail,  but  the  mind  that  continues 
calmly  in  harmony  with  everything,  no  matter  what 
the  circumstances  may  be,  will  master  every  occasion 
and  steadily  rise  in  the  scale.  He  will  continue  to 
make  real  the  ideal,  because  he  is  living  in  that 
harmonious  state  of  being  where  the  ideal  and 
the  real  are  harmoniously  blended  into  one. 
To  promote  the  highest  and  most  perfect  state 
of  continuous  harmony  we  must  learn  to  meet  those 
persons,  things  and  events,  with  which  we  come  in 
daily  contact,  in  the  right  mental  attitude.  The  re- 
sult of  such  an  attitude  is  determined  directly  by  the 
nature  of  our  own  attitude  of  mind,  and  as  we  can 
express  ourselves  through  any  attitude  we  desire,  it 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  85 

is  in  our  power  either  to  spoil  the  most  promising 
prospects,  or  convert  the  most  unpromising  condi- 
tions into  the  greatest  success.  We  should  train  our- 
selves to  meet  everything  in  that  attitude  of  mind 
that  expects  all  things  to  work  out  right.  When  we 
deeply  and  continually  expect  all  things  to  work  out 
right  we  relate  ourselves  more  perfectly  with  that 
with  which  we  come  in  contact ;  we  take  things,  so  to 
speak,  the  way  they  ought  to  be  taken,  and  we  there- 
by promote  harmony  and  co-operation  among  all 
things  concerned. 

Though  this  be  extremely  important,  it  is  insignif- 
icant, however,  in  comparison  with  another  great 
fact  in  this  connection;  that  is,  the  way  things  re- 
spond to  the  leading  desires  of  the  ruling  mind; 
whether  it  is  the  exercise  of  the  mysteries  of  mental 
force  or  the  application  of  a  mental  law  not  gener- 
ally understood,  does  not  concern  us  just  now ;  but  it 
is  a  fact  that  things  will  do,  as  a  rule  what  we  per- 
sistently expect  them  to  do.  To  understand  why 
this  is  so  may  require  some  study  of  the  great  laws 
of  mind  and  body,  and  everybody  should  seek  to  un- 
derstand these  laws  perfectly;  but  in  the  meantime 
anyone  can  demonstrate  the  fact  that  things  will 
work  out  right  if  we  constantly  expect  them  to  do  so. 
No  matter  what  may  happen  we  should  continue  in 
the  faith  that  all  things  will  come  right,  and  as  our 
faith  is  so  it  shall  be.  To  place  ourselves  in  perfect 
harmony  with  all  things,  the  domineering  attitude  of 


86  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

mind  must  be  eliminated  completely.  The  mind  that 
tries  to  domineer  -over  things  will  not  only  lose  con- 
trol of  things,  but  will  lose  control  of  its  own  facul- 
ties and  forces.  At  first  it  may  seem  that  the  dom- 
ineering mind  gains  ground,  but  the  gain  is  only 
temporary.  When  the  reaction  comes,  as  it  will,  the 
loss  will  be  far  greater  than  the  temporary  gain. 
When  you  try  to  domineer  over  persons  and  things 
you  gain  possession  and  control  of  those  things  only 
that  are  too  weak  to  control  themselves.  That  is, 
you  gain  a  temporary  control  over  negatives,  and 
negatives  have  no  permanent  value  in  your  life;  in 
fact,  they  soon  prove  themselves  to  be  wholly  detri- 
mental. Occasionally  a  domineering  mind  may  at- 
tract the  attention  of  better  things,  but  as  soon  as 
his  domineering  qualities  are  discovered  those  bet- 
ter things  will  part  company  with  him  at  once.  The 
law  of  attraction  is  at  the  foundation  of  all  natural 
constructive  processes;  therefore,  to  promote  con- 
struction, growth,  advancement  and  real  success  we 
must  work  in  harmony  with  that  law.  If  we  wish  to 
attain  the  superior,  we  must  become  superior,  be- 
cause it  is  only  like  that  attracts  like.  If  we  wish  to 
gain  the  ideal,  we  must  become  ideal.  If  we  wish  to 
make  real  the  ideal,  we  must  live  the  ideal  in  the  real. 
When  you  want  good  things,  make  yourself  better, 
and  better  things  will  naturally  be  attracted  to  you ; 
but  good  things  do  not  submit  to  force.  Therefore, 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  87 

to  try  to  secure  better  things  through  forceful  meth- 
ods, or  through  the  domineering  attitude  can  only 
result  in  failure ;  such  methods  gain  only  the  inferior, 
those  things  that  can  add  neither  to  the  welfare  nor 
the  happiness  of  any  one.  This  fact  holds  good,  not 
only  among  individuals,  but  also  among  nations  and 
institutions.  The  more  domineering  an  institution 
is  the  more  inferior  are  its  members,  and  the  more 
autocratic  the  nation  the  weaker  its  subjects.  On 
the  other  hand,  we  find  the  best  minds  where  the  in- 
dividual is  left  free  to  govern  himself  and  where  he 
is  expected  to  act  wisely,  to  be  true  to  the  best  that 
is  within  him.  In  order  that  the  individual  may  ad- 
vance he  must  steadily  grow  in  the  mastery  of  him- 
self, and  must  so  relate  himself  to  the  best  things  in 
life  that  he  will  naturally  attract  the  best  things; 
but  these  two  essentials  are  wholly  interfered  with 
by  the  domineering  attitude.  Such  an  attitude  re- 
pels everything  and  everybody  that  has  any  worth. 
It  spoils  the  forces  of  mind,  thus  weakening  all  the 
mental  faculties,  and  it  steadily  undermines  what- 
ever self-control  a  person  might  possess.  Never  try 
to  control  anything  or  domineer  over  anything,  but 
aim  to  live  in  perpetual  harmony  with  the  highest, 
the  truest  and  the  best  that  is  in  everything. 

Whatever  happens  we  should  approach  that  event 
in  that  attitude  that  believes  it  is  all  right.  We 
should  never  permit  the  attitude  that  condemns,  not 
even  when  the  things  concerned  have  proved  them- 


88  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

selves  to  be  wrong.  The  attitude  that  condemns  is 
detrimental  to  our  own  minds,  because  it  invariably 
produces  discord.  When  you  meet  all  things  in  the 
expectation  of  finding  them  right,  you  always  find 
something  about  them  that  is  right.  This  something 
you  may  appropriate  and  thus  gain  good  from 
everything  that  happens.  That  person,  however, 
who  expects  to  find  most  things  wrong  will  fail  to  see 
the  good  that  may  exist  among  the  things  that  come 
his  way;  therefore,  he  gains  far  less  from  life  than 
his  wiser  neighbor.  But  what  is  equally  important, 
the  man  who  expects  to  find  everything  right  wher- 
ever he  may  go,  will  gradually  gravitate  towards 
those  people  and  circumstances  that  are  right.  The 
man  who  expects  to  find  everything  wrong  usually 
finds  what  he  expects.  The  effect  of  these  two  atti- 
tudes upon  mind  and  character  is  even  more  import- 
ant, because  the  man  is  as  his  mind  and  character, 
and  as  the  man  is  so  is  his  destiny.  The  man  who 
expects  to  find  most  things  wrong  and  meets  the 
world  in  that  attitude  is  constantly  impressing  the 
wrong  upon  his  mind,  and  as  we  gradually  grow  into 
the  likeness  of  that  which  we  think  of  the  most,  he 
is  building  upon  sinking  sand.  The  mind  that  is 
constantly  looking  for  the  wrong  cannot  be  whole- 
some. Such  a  mind  is  not  in  harmony  with  the  law 
of  growth,  power,  and  ability;  therefore,  can  never 
do  its  best.  Unwholesome  thoughts  will  steadily  un- 
dermine the  finest  character  and  mind,  and  the 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  89 

world  is  full  of  illustrations.  There  is  always  some- 
thing wrong  in  the  life  of  that  person  who  constantly 
expects  to  find  things  wrong,  and  the  reason  why  is 
simple.  His  own  expectations  are  reacting  upon 
himself;  by  thinking  about  the  wrong  he  is  creating 
the  wrong  and  thus  bringing  forth  the  wrong  in 
every  part  of  his  life. 

The  man,  however,  who  expects  to  find  everything 
right  and  meets  the  world  in  that  attitude  is  daily 
nourishing  his  mind  with  right  thoughts,  wholesome 
thoughts  and  constructive  thoughts;  he  thinks  the 
most  of  that  which  is  right,  and  is  therefore  steadily 
growing  more  and  more  into  the  likeness  of  that 
which  is  right,  perfect,  worthy  and  good ;  he  is  daily 
changing  for  the  better,  and  through  this  constant 
change  he  steadily  rises  in  the  scale  and  thereby 
meets  the  better  and  the  better  at  every  turn.  By  ex- 
pecting to  find  everything  right  he  finds  more  and 
more  of  that  which  is  right,  and  as  he  is  becoming 
stronger  in  mind,  character  and  soul  he  is  affected 
less  and  less  by  those  few  things  that  may  not  be  as 
they  should  be.  When  you  meet  a  disappointment 
meet  it  in  the  conviction  that  it  is  all  right,  because 
through  this  attitude  you  enter  into  harmony  with 
the  power  that  is  back  of  the  event  at  hand,  and  you 
thus  convert  the  disappointment  into  a  channel 
through  which  greater  good  may  be  secured.  Those 
who  doubt  this  should  try  it;  they  will  find  that  it  is 
based  upon  exact  scientific  fact  Transcend  disap- 


90  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

pointment,  and  all  the  powers  of  adversity  will  be- 
gin to  rise  with  you  and  will  begin  to  work  with  you 
and  help  you  reach  the  goal  you  have  in  view.  You 
will  thus  find  that  it  is  all  for  the  best,  because 
through  the  right  mental  attitude  you  made  every- 
thing work  out  in  such  a  way  that  the  best  trans- 
pired as  a  final  result. 

To  live  in  what  may  be  termed  the  "all  right'*  at- 
titude, that  is,  in  that  attitude  that  expects  to  find 
everything  all  right  and  that  constantly  affirms  that 
everything  is  all  right,  is  to  press  on  to  the  realiza- 
tion and  the  possession  of  those  things  that  are  as 
you  wish  them  to  be.  Disappointments  and  failures, 
when  met  in  this  attitude,  simply  become  open  doors 
to  new  worlds  where  you  find  better  opportunities 
and  greater  possibilities  than  you  ever  knew  before. 
When  the  average  person  meets  disappointment  he 
usually  declares,  "Just  my  luck;"  in  other  words, 
he  enters  that  mental  attitude  that  faces  ill  luck ;  he 
thus  fails  to  see  anything  else  but  misfortune  in  that 
which  has  happened;  and  so  long  as  that  person, 
consciously  or  unconsciously  expects  misfortune, 
into  more  and  more  misfortune  he  will  go.  He  who 
believes  that  he  is  fated  to  have  bad  luck  will  have 
bad  luck  in  abundance.  The  reason  is  he  lives  in 
that  mental  attitude  that  places  his  mind  in  constant 
contact  with  those  confused  elements  in  the  world 
that  never  create  anything  else  but  bad  luck.  That 
person,  however,  who  thoroughly  believes  that 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  91 

everything  that  happens  is  simply  a  step  to  greater 
good,  higher  attainments  and  greater  achievements, 
will  steadily  rise  into  those  greater  things  that  he 
expects  to  realize ;  the  reason  being  that  he  is  living 
in  that  mental  attitude  that  places  his  mind  in  con- 
tact with  the  building  power  of  life.  Those  powers 
will  always  build  for  greater  things  to  those  with 
whom  they  are  in  harmony,  and  we  all  can  place  our- 
selves in  harmony  with  those  powers ;  therefore,  we 
can  all  move  upward  and  onward  forever,  eternally 
making  real  more  and  more  of  that  which  is  ideal. 

What  we  expect  comes  if  our  expectation  is  filled 
with  all  the  power  of  life  and  soul,  and  what  we  be- 
lieve our  fate  to  be,  that  is  the  kind  of  a  fate  we  will 
create  for  ourselves.  To  meet  ill  luck  in  the  belief 
that  it  is  your  luck,  your  particular  kind  of  luck,  and 
that  it  is  natural  for  you  to  have  that  kind  of  luck  is 
to  stamp  your  own  mind  as  an  unlucky  mind.  This 
will  produce  chaotic  thinking,  which  will  cause  you 
to  do  everything  at  the  wrong  time,  and  all  your  en- 
ergies will  be  more  or  less  misdirected;  in  conse- 
quence, bad  luck  and  misfortune  must  necessarily 
follow.  Bad  luck  comes  from  doing  the  wrong 
thing,  or  from  being  your  worst;  while  good  luck 
comes  from  being  your  best  and  from  doing  the  right 
thing  at  the  right  time.  It  is  therefore  mere  simplic- 
ity to  create  good  luck  at  any  time  and  in  the  meas- 
ure that  we  may  desire.  The  person  that  fears  mis- 
fortune or  expects  misfortune  and  faces  life  in  that 


92  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

attitude  is  concentrating  attention  upon  misfortune ; 
he  thereby  creates  a  world  of  misfortune  in  his  own 
mind;  and  he  who  lives  in  mental  misfortune  will 
produce  misfortune  in  his  external  life.  Like  causes 
produce  like  effects;  and  this  explains  why  the 
things  we  fear  always  come  upon  us.  We  create 
mental  causes  for  those  things,  and  corresponding 
tangible  effects  always  follow.  Train  the  mind  to 
expect  the  right  and  the  best,  regardless  of  present 
circumstances,  conditions  or  events.  Call  every- 
thing good  that  is  met.  Declare  that  everything 
that  happens,  happens  for  the  best.  Meet  everything 
in  that  frame  of  mind,  and  no  matter  how  wrong  or 
adverse  conditions  seem  to  be,  you  cause  them  all  to 
work  out  right. 

When  the  mind  expects  the  best,  has  the  faith  that 
the  right  will  prevail,  and  constantly  faces  the  su- 
perior, the  true  mental  attitude  has  been  gained. 
Through  that  attitude  all  the  forces  of  mind  and  all 
the  powers  of  will  become  constructive,  and  will 
build  for  man  the  very  thing  that  he  expects  or  de- 
sires while  his  mind  is  fixed  upon  the  ideal.  He  re- 
lates himself  harmoniously  to  the  best  that  is  in  all 
things  and  thus  unites  the  ideal  with  the  real  in  all 
things;  and  when  the  ideal  becomes  one  with  the 
real,  the  ideal  desired  becomes  an  actual  fact  in  the 
real ;  and  this  is  the  goal  every  true  idealist  has  in 
view.  He  takes  those  elements  that  have  been  re- 
vealed to  him  through  the  vision  of  the  soul  and 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  93 

blends  them  harmoniously  with  the  actions  of  daily 
life.  He  thus  brings  the  ideal  down  to  earth  and 
causes  the  real  of  every  day  life  to  express  the  ideal 
in  everything  that  he  may  undertake  to  do.  His  life, 
his  thought,  his  action,  his  attainments,  his  achieve- 
ments, all  contain  that  happy  state  where  the  ideal 
and  the  real  are  made  one.  His  dreams  have  be- 
come true.  The  visions  of  the  soul  are  actually  re- 
alized, and  the  tangible  is  animated  with  that  ideal 
something  that  makes  personal  existence  all  that 
any  one  could  wish  it  to  be. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  FIBST  STEP  TOWARDS  COMPLETE  EMANCIPATION. 

To  forgive  everybody  for  everything  at  all  times, 
regardless  of  circumstances,  is  the  first  step  towards 
complete  emancipation.  Heretofore,  we  have  looked 
upon  forgiveness  as  a  virtue ;  now  we  know  it  to  be 
a  necessity.  To  those  who  possessed  the  spirit  of 
forgiveness  we  have  given  our  highest  praise,  and 
have  thought  of  such  people  as  being  self-sacrificing 
in  the  truest  sense  of  that  term.  We  did  not  know 
that  the  act  of  forgiving  is  the  simplest  way  to 
lighten  one's  own  burdens.  According  to  our  former 
conception  of  this  subject,  the  man  who  forgives 
denies  himself  a  privilege,  the  privilege  of  indigna- 
tion and  revenge;  for  this  reason  we  have  looked 
upon  him  as  a  hero  or  as  a  saint,  thinking  that  it 
could  not  be  otherwise  than  heroic  and  saintly  to 
give  up  the  supposed  pleasure  of  meting  out  revenge 
to  those  who  seemed  to  deserve  it.  According  to  the 
new  view,  however,  the  man  who  forgives  is  no  more 
saintly  than  the  one  who  insists  upon  keeping  clean, 
because  in  reality  the  act  of  forgiving  simply  consti- 
tutes a  complete  mental  bath.  When  you  forgive 
everybody  for  everything  you  cleanse  your  mind 

04 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  95 

completely  of  every  wrong  thought  or  adverse  men- 
tal attitude  that  may  exist  in  your  consciousness. 
This  explains  why  forgiveness  is  a  necessity  and 
why  the  man  who  forgives  everything  emancipates 
himself  from  all  kinds  of  burdens.  It  is  therefore 
profitable,  most  highly  profitable,  to  forgive  every- 
body, no  matter  what  they  have  done,  and  this  in- 
cludes also  ourselves.  It  is  just  as  necessary  to  for- 
give ourselves  as  to  forgive  others,  and  the  principal 
reason  why  forgiveness  has  seemed  to  be  so  difficult 
is  because  we  have  neglected  to  forgive  ourselves. 

We  cannot  let  go  of  that  which  is  not  desired  until 
we  have  acquired  the  mental  art  of  letting  go,  and  to 
acquire  this  art  we  must  practice  upon  our  own 
minds.  That  is,  we  must  learn  to  let  go  from  our 
own  minds  all  those  things  that  we  do  not  wish  to 
retain.  When  you  forgive  yourself  completely  you 
wash  your  mentality  perfectly  clean.  You  let  go  of 
everything  in  your  mental  system  that  is  not  good. 
You  emancipate  yourself  completely.  Whatever 
you  held  against  yourself  or  others  you  now  drop  en- 
tirely out  of  your  mind;  in  consequence,  you  are 
freed  from  your  mental  burdens,  and  when  mental 
burdens  disappear  all  other  burdens  will  disappear 
also.  The  ills  that  we  hold  in  mind  are  the  only 
things  that  can  actually  burden  our  lives.  There- 
fore, when  we  forgive  everybody  for  every  ill  we 
ever  knew  we  no  longer  hold  a  single  ill  in  our  own 
minds ;  we  thus  throw  off  every  burden  and  are  per- 


96  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

fectly  free.  This  also  includes  disease,  because  dis- 
ease is  nothing  but  a  temporary  effect  of  a  wrong 
that  we  mentally  hold  in  the  system.  Forgive  every- 
body, including  yourself,  for  everything,  and  all  dis- 
ease will  vanish  from  your  system.  This  may  at 
first  sight  appear  to  be  a  startling  statement,  but  it 
is  the  truth,  and  anyone  can  prove  it  to  be  the  truth. 
"As  a  man  thinketh  in  his  heart  so  is  he."  There- 
fore, when  every  wrong  is  eliminated  from  the  heart 
of  man  there  can  be  no  wrong  in  the  man  himself, 
and  every  wrong  is  eliminated  from  that  heart  that 
forgives  everything  in  everyone.  Many  persons, 
however,  will  state  that  they  hold  no  ill  against  any- 
one yet  suffer  just  the  same.  So  they  may  think, 
nevertheless  they  are  mistaken  and  will  see  their 
mistakes  when  they  learn  the  truth  about  mental 
laws.  You  may  not  hold  direct  ill  against  any  per- 
son just  now,  but  your  mind  has  not  always  been  ab- 
solutely pure  and  absolutely  free  from  every  wrong 
thought.  You  have  had  many  wrong  desires  in  your 
heart,  and  have  had  many  mistaken  ideas.  To  hold 
a  mistaken  idea  is  to  hold  a  wrong  in  your  heart. 
To  have  wrong  desires  is  to  hold  ills  against  your- 
self, as  well  as  others.  To  blame  yourself,  criticise 
yourself,  feel  provoked  at  yourself  or  condemn 
yourself  for  your  shortcomings  is  to  hold  ills 
against  yourself,  and  there  are  very  few  who  are  not 
doing  this  every  day  to  some  degree. 
When  we  forgive  all  and  still  suffer  we  may  not 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  97 

believe  that  forgiveness  produces  emancipation ;  but 
the  fact  is  that  suffering  is  impossible  when  forgive- 
ness is  absolute.  When  we  forgive  completely  we 
shall  also  eliminate  completely  every  trouble  or  ill 
that  may  exist  in  our  world.  When  you  have  trouble 
forgive  those  who  have  caused  the  trouble;  forgive 
yourself  for  permitting  yourself  to  be  troubled,  and 
your  troubles  will  pass  away.  When  you  have  made 
a  mistake  do  not  condemn  yourself  or  feel  upset; 
simply  forgive  yourself,  and  resolve  that  you  will 
never  make  the  mistake  again.  As  you  make  that 
resolution,  desire  more  wisdom,  and  have  the  faith 
that  you  will  secure  the  wisdom  you  require.  "Ac- 
cording to  your  faith  so  shall  it  be.'*  There  are 
many  who  will  think  that  the  practice  of  forgiving 
everybody  for  everything  will  produce  mental  indif- 
ference and  thus  weaken  character,  but  it  is  the  very 
opposite  that  will  take  place.  To  forgive  is  to  elim- 
inate the  useless,  everything  that  is  not  good ;  and  to 
free  the  mind  from  obstacles  and  adverse  conditions 
is  to  enable  that  mind  to  be  its  best,  to  express  it- 
self fully  and  completely.  This  will  not  only 
strengthen  the  character  and  enlarge  the  mind,  but 
will  cause  the  greatness  of  the  soul  to  come  forth. 
There  is  many  a  character  that  appears  to  be  strong 
on  account  of  its  open  hostility  to  wrongs,  but  such 
a  character  is  not  always  strong.  Too  often  it  is 
composed  of  a  few  borrowed  ideas  about  morality 
backed1  up  by  mere  animal  force.  The  true  character 


98  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

does  not  express  hostility  and  does  not  resist  or  an- 
tagonize, but  overcomes  evil  by  giving  all  its  power 
to  the  building  of  the  good.  A  strong  character 
meets  evil  with  a  silent  indifference;  that  is,  indif- 
ference in  appearance  only.  The  true  character 
does  not  pass  evil  by  because  he  does  not  care,  but 
because  he  does  care.  He  cares  so  much  that  he  will 
not  waste  one  single  moment  in  prolonging  the  life 
of  the  wrong;  therefore  gives  his  whole  time  and  at- 
tention to  the  making  of  good  so  strong  that  evil  be- 
comes absolutely  powerless  in  the  presence  of  that 
good.  No  intelligent  person  would  antagonize  dark- 
ness. By  giving  his  tune  to  the  production  of  light 
he  causes  the  darkness  to  disappear  of  itself. 

When  we  apply  the  same  principle  to  the  elimina- 
tion of  evil  a  marvelous  change  for  the  better  will 
come  over  the  world.  No  person  can  forgive  every- 
body for  everything  until  he  desires  the  best  from 
every  person  and  from  every  source.  In  other 
words,  we  cannot  forgive  the  wrong  until  we  desire 
the  right.  Therefore,  the  letting  go  of  the  inferior 
and  the  appropriation  of  the  superior  constitutes  one 
and  the  same  single  mental  process.  We  cannot  elim- 
inate darkness  until  we  proceed  to  produce  light, 
and  it  requires  only  the  one  act  for  removing  the  one 
and  bringing  forth  the  other.  From  these  facts  it  is 
evident  that  when  we  let  go  of  the  wrong  we  gain 
more  of  that  power  that  is  right,  and  we  thus  in- 
crease the  strength  of  character.  To  eliminate  dis- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  99 

eased  conditions  from  the  body  will  increase  the 
strength  of  the  body  and  will  place  the  body  in  a 
position  for  further  development,  if  we  desire  to 
promote  such  development.  Likewise,  to  eliminate 
all  ill  feelings,  all  hatred,  all  wrong  thoughts  and  all 
false  beliefs  from  the  mind  will  increase  the  power 
of  the  mind  and  place  every  mental  faculty  in 
proper  condition  for  higher  development.  The  same 
effect  will  be  produced  in  the  character,  and  all  awak- 
ened minds  know  that  the  greatness  of  the  soul  can 
begin  to  come  forth  only  when  we  have  completely 
forgiven  everybody  for  everything. 

The  man  who  finds  it  easier  to  forgive  than  to  con- 
demn is  on  the  verge  of  superior  wisdom  and  higher 
spiritual  power.  He  has  entered  the  path  to  real 
greatness  and  may  rapidly  rise  in  the  scale  by  apply- 
ing the  laws  of  true  human  development.  Instead 
of  producing  weakness  and  indifference  the  act  of 
absolute  forgiveness  will  produce  a  more  powerful 
character,  a  more  brilliant  mind  and  a  greater  soul. 
Try  this  method  for  a  year.  Forgive  everybody  for 
everything,  no  matter  what  happens,  and  do  not  for- 
get to  forgive  yourself.  You  will  then  conclude  that 
forgiveness,  absolute  forgiveness,  is  not  only  the  path 
to  complete  emancipation,  but  is  also  the  "gates 
ajar"  to  a  better  life,  a  larger  life,  a  richer  life,  a 
more  beautiful  life  than  you  ever  knew  before.  You 
will  find  that  you  can  instantaneously  remove  dis- 
ease from  the  body,  perversion  and  wrong  from  the 
mind  by  complete  and  unrestricted  forgiveness ;  and 


100  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

you  can  in  the  same  way  steadily  recreate  yourself 
into  a  new  and  better  being.  Forgive  the  imperfect, 
and  with  heart  and  soul  desire  constantly  the  realiz- 
ation of  the  perfect;  the  imperfect  will  thus  pass 
away  and  the  more  perfect  will  be  realized  in  a 
greater  and  greater  abundance. 

Whatever  our  place  in  life  may  be,  we  must  elim- 
inate every  burden  of  mind  or  body,  if  we  wish  to 
rise  in  the  scale,  and  the  first  step  in  this  direction 
is  to  forgive  everybody  for  everything.  When  you 
begin  to  practice  forgiveness  on  this  extensive  scale 
you  will  find  obstacles  disappearing  one  after  the 
other.  Those  things  that  held  you  down  will  vanish 
and  that  which  was  constantly  in  your  way  will 
trouble  you  no  more ;  your  pathway  will  be  cleared. 
You  will  have  nothing  more  to  contend  with,  and 
everything  in  your  life  will  move  smoothly  and  har- 
moniously towards  greater  and  greater  things.  This 
is  perfectly  natural,  because  by  forgiving  everybody 
and  everything  you  have  let  every  form  of  evil  go. 
You  have  invited  all  the  good,  and  have  therefore 
populated  your  own  world  with  persons  and  things 
after  your  own  heart.  Through  perpetual  and  com- 
plete forgiveness  your  mind  will  be  kept  perfectly 
clean.  Not  a  single  weed  will  ever  appear  in  the 
beautiful  garden  of  your  mind,  and  so  long  as  the 
mind  is  clean  neither  sickness  nor  adversity  can  ex- 
ist in  human  life.  This  may  be  a  strong  statement, 
but  those  who  will  try  the  principle  and  continue  to 
live  it  will  find  it  to  be  the  truth. 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  101 

Since  forgiveness  is  a  necessity  to  all  who  wish  to 
eliminate  the  lesser  and  retain  the  greater,  or  in 
other  words  make  real  the  ideal,  it  will  be  highly  im- 
portant to  present  the  simplest  methods  through 
which  anyone  may  learn  to  practice  this  great  art. 
It  has  been  said  that  to  know  all  is  to  forgive  all; 
but  it  is  not  possible  for  anyone  to  know  all.  There- 
fore, if  we  wish  to  forgive  absolutely,  we  must  pro- 
ceed along  a  different  line.  When  we  ask  ourselves 
why  people  live,  think  and  act  as  they  do  we  meet 
the  great  law  of  cause  and  effect.  In  our  study  of 
this  law  we  find  that  every  cause  is  an  effect  of  a 
previous  cause,  and  that  that  previous  cause  is  also  an 
effect  of  a  cause  still  more  remote.  We  may  con- 
tinue to  trace  these  causes  and  effects  far  back  along 
the  chain  of  events  until  we  are  lost  in  the  dimness 
of  the  past ;  but  what  do  we  learn  by  such  a  process 
of  analysis?  Nothing  whatever.  We  fail  to  find 
anything  definite  about  anybody,  and  consequently 
cannot  fix  the  blame  for  anything;  but  it  is  not  pos- 
sible to  justly  blame  anybody  when  we  cannot  fix  the 
blame  for  anything.  Therefore,  we  have  only  one 
alternative,  and  that  is  to  forgive.  We  can  never 
find  the  real  cause  of  a  single  thing.  We  may  first 
blame  the  individual,  but  when  we  discover  the  in- 
fluence of  environment,  heredity  and  early  training 
we  cannot  wholly  blame  the  individual.  If  we  blame 
the  parents,  we  must  find  the  reason  why  those  par- 
ents were  not  different,  also  why  previous  genera- 
tions were  not  different.  If  we  accept  the  theory 


102  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

that  the  individual  has  lived  before  and  that  he  came 
into  his  present  environments  because  he  was  what 
he  was  in  a  previous  state  of  existence,  we  must  ex- 
plain why  he  did  not  live  a  different  life  in  that 
other  existence ;  why  did  he  act  in  such  a  manner  in 
the  past  that  he  should  merit  adversity  and  weak- 
ness in  the  present.  If  he  knew  no  better  in  the  past, 
what  is  the  reason  that  he  did  not  know  any  better? 
If  we  accept  the  belief  that  we  have  all  inherited  our 
perverted  tendencies  from  Adam  and  Eve,  we  must 
explain  why  those  two  souls  were  not  strong  enough 
to  rise  above  temptation.  If  they  were  tempted,  we 
must  explain  why ;  we  must  explain  why  the  original 
man  who  was  created  in  the  image  and  likeness  of 
God  did  not  express  his  divine  nature  in  the  midst 
of  temptation.  But  there  is  no  way  in  which  we  can 
explain  these  things ;  therefore,  to  fix  the  blame  for 
anything  is  absolutely  impossible. 

The  more  we  try  to  find  the  original  cause  of  any- 
thing the  more  convinced  we  become  that  to  look  for 
sin  or  the  cause  of  sin  is  nothing  but  a  waste  of  time. 
Every  individual  is  himself  a  cause,  and  his  life 
comes  constantly  in  touch  with  a  number  of  other 
causes;  therefore,  it  is  never  possible  to  say  which 
one  of  these  causes  or  combination  of  these  causes 
produced  the  original  action.  Back  of  every  action 
we  find  other  actions  that  lead  us  to  the  one  that  we 
may  now  consider,  but  we  do  not  know  how  those 
other  actions  were  produced.  To  trace  them  back 
to  their  original  source  simply  leads  us  into  what  ap- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  103 

pears  to  be  a  beginningless  beginning.  For  this  rea- 
son it  is  the  height  of  wisdom  to  let  the  "dead  bury 
its  dead,"  to  let  the  past  go,  to  forgive  every  sinner 
and  forget  every  sin,  and  to  use  our  time,  talent  and 
power  for  the  building  of  more  lofty  mansions  in  the 
great  eternal  now.  To  look  for  the  blame  is  to  find 
that  we  are  all  more  or  less  to  blame,  and  also  to  find 
that  there  is  no  real  fixed  blame  anywhere.  We  may 
then  ask  what  we  are  to  do  with  this  great  subject ; 
are  we  to  talk,  theorize,  speculate,  condemn  and  pun- 
ish? We  know  too  well  that  all  of  that  is  but  a  waste 
of  time.  The  sensible  course  to  pursue  is  to  forgive 
everybody  for  everything,  to  drop  ills,  mistakes, 
wrongs,  disagreeable  memories  and  proceed  to  use 
those  laws  of  life  that  we  understand  now  in  making 
life  better  for  everybody  now. 

The  man  who  is  habitually  doing  wrong  is  men- 
tally or  morally  sick.  Punishment  is  a  waste  of 
time ;  besides,  it  is  absolutely  wrong,  and  one  wrong 
cannot  remove  another.  Such  a  person  should  be 
taken  where  he  can  be  healed  and  kept  there  until  he 
is  well.  We  should  not  hate  him  or  condemn  him 
any  more  than  those  who  are  physically  sick.  Sick- 
ness is  sickness  whether  it  appears  in  the  body,  the 
mind  or  the  character,  and  he  who  is  sick  does  not 
need  a  prison ;  he  needs  a  physician.  To  absolutely 
remove  this  hatred  for  the  wrong-doers  in  the  world 
we  must  cultivate  a  higher  order  of  love,  that  love 
that  loves  every  living  creature  with  the  true  love 
of  the  soul,  and  such  a  love  is  readily  attained  when 


104  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

we  train  ourselves  to  look  for  the  ideal  soul  of  life 
that  exists  in  everything  everywhere  in  the  world. 
This  idea  may  cause  many  to  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  act  of  forgiving  the  wrong-doer  will  have 
an  undesirable  effect  upon  society,  because  we  may 
be  liable  to  let  people  in  general  do  as  they  please ; 
but  in  this  they  are  wholly  mistaken.  Reason  de- 
clares that  you  cannot  justly  blame  anyone,  and  love 
does  not  wish  to  blame  anyone;  forgiveness  must 
therefore  inevitably  follow  when  reason  and  love  are 
truly  combined;  but  reason  and  love  will  never  per- 
mit man  in  general  to  do  as  he  pleases.  When  we 
love  people  we  are  not  indifferent  about  their  future. 
We  do  not  wish  them  to  go  down  grade.  We  want 
them  to  improve,  to  do  the  right  and  the  best  and  we 
will  do  everything  in  our  power  to  emancipate  and 
elevate  the  entire  race.  Reason  understands  how 
the  laws  of  life  can  be  applied  in  producing  those  re- 
sults we  may  have  in  view ;  therefore,  the  desires  of 
love  can  be  carried  out  through  the  understanding 
of  reason,  and  thus  every  high  purpose  may  be  pro- 
moted by  the  right  spirit  and  the  proper  methods. 
Others  may  declare  that  these  methods  are  in  ad- 
vance of  our  time  and  cannot  be  carried  out  at  pres- 
ent; therefore,  it  is  useless  to  even  talk  about  it. 
However,  be  that  as  it  may,  the  fact  remains  that 
forgiveness  is  a  necessity  to  the  true  life,  the  eman- 
cipated life,  the  superior  life,  the  ideal  life.  For  that 
reason  every  person  who  desires  to  make  real  the 
ideal  in  his  world  must  begin  to  practice  absolute 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  105 

forgiveness  at  once.  If  we  can  forgive  everybody 
for  everything  now,  we  should  do  so,  whether  the 
world  in  general  can  do  so  or  not  The  man  who 
wishes  to  move  forward  must  not  wait  for  the  race. 
It  is  his  privilege  to  go  in  advance  of  the  race ;  thus 
he  prepares  the  way  for  millions. 

When  he  has  demonstrated  by  example  that  there 
are  better  ways  of  living,  the  race  will  follow.  What 
the  few  can  do  to-day  the  many  will  do  tomorrow, 
but  if  the  few  should  wait  until  tomorrow,  the  many 
would  have  to  wait  until  the  day  following,  or  pos- 
sibly longer  still.  Be  what  you  can  be  now.  Do  what 
you  can  do  now,  no  matter  how  far  in  advance  of 
this  age  such  actions  may  be.  If  you  are  capable  of 
greater  things  to-day,  you  owe  it  to  the  race  to  dem- 
onstrate those  greater  things  now.  You  sprung 
from  the  race.  You  are  composed  of  the  finer  ele- 
ments that  exist  in  the  race,  and  should  consider  it 
a  privilege  to  cause  those  elements  to  shine  as  bril- 
liantly as  possible;  and  one  of  the  greatest  of  all 
demonstrations  in  this  age  is  that  of  absolute  for- 
giveness, to  demonstrate  the  power  of  forgiving 
everybody  for  everything  at  all  times  and  under 
every  possible  circumstance.  We  therefore  conclude 
that  complete  emancipation  from  everything  that  is 
not  desired  in  life  can  be  realized  only  when  we  for- 
give absolutely  in  this  great  universal  sense;  and 
when  we  have  forgiven  everybody  for  everything, 
then  we  can  say  with  the  great  Master  Mind,  "My 
yoke  is  easy  and  my  burden  is  light." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

PATHS  TO  PERPETUAL.  INCREASE. 

The  universe  is  overflowing  with  all  manner  of 
good  things  and  there  is  enough  to  supply  every 
wish  of  every  heart  with  abundance  still  remaining. 
How  every  heart  is  to  proceed,  however,  that  its 
every  wish  may  be  supplied,  has  been  the  problem, 
but  the  solution  is  simple.  In  consequence,  every- 
body may  rejoice.  This  world  is  not  a  "vale  of 
tears,"  but  is  in  truth  a  most  delightful  place, 
and  is  endowed  with  everything  that  is  needful  to 
make  the  life  of  man  an  endless  song.  We  now 
know  that  we  do  not  live  to  be  miserable,  but  to  re- 
joice. The  bitterness  that  sometimes  appears  in 
life  is  not  a  real  part  of  life.  The  greatness  of  ex- 
istence alone  is  intended  for  man.  To  know  the  bit- 
ter from  the  sweet  and  to  appropriate  the  latter  and 
always  reject  the  former  is  a  matter,  however,  that 
is  not  clearly  understood.  There  may  by  thousands 
who  know  the  bitter  when  they  see  it,  but  they  do  not 
always  know  how  to  reject  it.  To  throw  off  the  ills 
of  life  is  an  art  that  few  have  mastered.  But  those 
who  can  eliminate  the  wrong  are  not  always  able  to 
distinguish  the  right  from  the  wrong,  the  reason 

106 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  107 

being  that  we  have  not  looked  at  things  from  the 
view-point  of  that  power  that  produces  things.  The 
philosophers,  the  theologians  and  the  scientists,  as 
a  rule,  make  life  very  complex  and  difficult  to  live. 
Their  profound  expressions  confuse  the  multitudes, 
while  ills  and  troubles  continue  as  before;  but  to 
live  is  simple.  Even  a  child  can  be  happy;  it  there- 
fore should  not  be  difficult  for  anyone  else.  . 

When  we  realize  happiness  in  its  highest,  broad- 
est sense,  we  find  that  it  comes  in  its  fulness  only 
when  we  have  everything  that  the  heart  desires; 
and  since  the  desires  of  the  heart  increase  in  size  and 
number  with  the  enlargement  of  life,  the  joy  of  liv- 
ing will  increase  in  proportion  providing  all  the  de- 
sires of  the  heart  are  supplied.  This  fact,  however, 
may  at  first  sight  seem  to  make  happiness  very  dif- 
ficult to  secure.  If  we  cannot  enjoy  the  allness  of 
joy  until  we  have  everything  that  heart  can  wish 
for,  then  happiness  is  far  away;  so  it  may  seem, 
but  things  are  not  always  what  they  seem.  All 
things  are  possible,  and  the  most  difficult  things  be- 
come comparatively  easy  when  we  know  how ;  there- 
fore, the  way  of  wisdom  is  not  to  look  for  those  dif- 
ficulties that  ignorance  has  connected  with  things, 
but  look  for  that  simplicity  that  is  the  soul  of  all 
knowledge.  When  we  learn  to  do  things  as  they 
should  be  done,  all  difficulties  disappear,  and  even 
the  largest  life  becomes  simple. 

The  doing  of  things  is  the  universal  theme  in 


108  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

this  age.  Those  who  simply  tell  us  what  to  do  are 
no  longer  acceptable.  We  want  practical  instruc- 
tions that  tell  us  how.  The  greatest  man  of  this  age 
and  of  the  future  will  not  be  the  one  who  can  move 
as  he  wishes  the  emotions  of  multitudes  by  the 
magic  art  of  eloquence  and  bring  whole  nations  to 
his  feet  by  the  artistic  juggling  of  eloquent  phrases. 
The  great  man  will  henceforth  be  the  man  who  can 
tell  us  how,  and  who  can  express  himself  so  clearly 
that  anyone  can  understand.  This,  however,  we  are 
now  beginning  to  do,  and  ere  long  the  many  will 
come  back  to  the  truth  itself  and  understand  the 
real  truth  in  all  its  original  simplicity.  The  path 
of  truth  and  life  is  perfectly  straight  and  is  illum- 
ined all  the  way.  It  is  therefore  simplicity  itself 
to  follow  this  path  when  we  find  it,  but  the  many 
have  strayed  into  the  jungles  of  illusions  and  mis- 
conceptions. These  must  all  come  back  to  the  sim- 
ple path,  and  when  they  do  the  difficulty  of  living 
will  wholly  disappear. 

To  teach  the  race  how  to  find  the  simple  things, 
the  true  things  and  the  real  things  is  now  the  pur- 
pose of  every  original  thinker,  and  whoever  can  add 
to  the  world's  wisdom  in  this  respect  becomes  a 
light  to  the  race,  indeed.  One  of  the  first  principles 
in  this  new  understanding  of  things  is  that  which 
deals  with  man's  power  to  place  himself  in  perfect 
touch  with  the  source  of  limitless  supply;  in  other 
words  to  enter  the  path  of  perpetual  increase.  As 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  109 

previously  stated,  the  world  is  overflowing  with 
good  things,  because  life  is  in  touch  with  the  limit- 
less source  of  all  good  things,  and  there  is  so  much 
of  everything  that  the  wish  of  every  heart  can  be 
gratified.  We  do  not  have  to  take  from  another 
to  have  abundance,  because  there  is  more  than  suffi- 
cient for  all.  The  fact  that  some  one  has  abundance 
does  not  prove  that  he  has  taken  some  or  all  of  his 
wealth  from  others,  although  this  is  what  a  great 
many  believe  to  be  the  truth.  "Whenever  we  see 
some  one  in  luxury  we  wonder  where  and  how  he  got 
it,  and  we  usually  add  that  many  are  in  poverty  be- 
cause this  one  is  in  wealth.  Such  doctrine,  how- 
ever, is  not  true.  It  is  thoroughly  false  from  begin- 
ning to  end.  The  world  is  not  so  poverty  stricken 
that  the  few  cannot  have  plenty  without  stealing 
from  the  many.  The  universe  is  not  so  bare  and 
so  limited  that  multitudes  are  reduced  to  want  when- 
ever a  few  persons  undertake  to  surround  them- 
selves with  those  things  that  have  beauty  and  worth. 
True,  there  is  injustice  in  the  world.  There  are 
people  who  have  secured  their  wealth,  not  upon 
merit,  but  through  the  art  of  reducing  others  to 
want;  but  the  remedy  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  doc- 
trine that  thousands  must  necessarily  become  poor 
when  one  becomes  very  rich.  This  doctrine  is  an 
illusion,  and  illusions  cannot  serve  as  foundations 
for  a  better  order.  There  is  enough  in  life  to  give 


110  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

every  living  person  all  the  wealth  and  all  the  luxury 
that  he  can  possibly  appropriate. 

God  is  rich;  the  universe  is  overflowing  with 
abundance.  If  we  have  not  everything  that  we  want, 
there  is  a  reason ;  there  is  some  definite  cause  some- 
where, either  in  ourselves  or  in  our  relations  to  the 
world,  but  this  cause  can  be  found  and  corrected; 
then  we  may  proceed  to  take  possession  of  our  own. 
Among  the  many  causes  of  poverty  and  the  lack 
of  a  full  supply  there  is  one  that  has  been  entirely 
overlooked.  To  overcome  this  cause  is  to  find  one 
of  the  most  important  paths  to  perpetual  increase, 
and  the  remedy  lies  within  easy  reach  of  everyone 
who  has  awakened  to  a  degree  the  finer  elements 
in  his  life. 

There  may  be  exceptions  to  the  rule,  but  there 
are  thousands  who  are  living  on  the  husks  of  ex- 
istence because  they  were  not  grateful  when  the 
kernels  were  received.  Multitudes  continue  in  pov- 
erty from  no  other  cause  than  a  lack  of  gratitude,  and 
other  thousands  who  have  almost  everything  that 
the  heart  may  wish  for  do  not  reach  the  coveted 
goal  of  full  supply  because  their  gratitude  is  not 
complete. 

We  are  now  beginning  to  realize  more  and  more 
that  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world  is  to  live  so 
closely  to  the  Infinite  that  we  constantly  feel  the 
power  and  the  peace  of  His  presence.  In  fact,  this 
mode  of  living  is  the  very  secret  of  secrets  reveal- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  111 

ing  everything  that  the  mind  may  wish  to  know  or 
understand  in  order  to  make  life  what  it  is  intended 
to  be.  We  also  realize  that  the  more  closely  we  live 
to  the  Infinite  the  more  we  shall  receive  of  all  good 
things,  because  all  good  things  have  their  source  in 
the  Supreme;  but  how  to  enter  into  this  life  of  su- 
preme oneness  with  the  Most  High  is  a  problem. 
There  are  many  things  to  be  done  in  order  to  solve 
this  problem,  but  there  is  no  one  thing  that  is  more 
important  in  producing  the  required  solution  than 
deep,  whole-souled  gratitude.  The  soul  that  is  al- 
ways grateful  lives  nearer  the  true,  the  good,  the 
beautiful  and  the  perfect  than  anyone  else  in  ex- 
istence, and  the  more  closely  we  live  to  the  good  and 
the  beautiful  the  more  we  shall  receive  of  all  those 
things.  The  mind  that  dwells  constantly  in  the  pres- 
ence of  true  worth  is  daily  adding  to  his  own  worth. 
He  is  gradually  and  steadily  appropriating  that 
worth  with  which  he  is  in  constant  contact;  but  we 
cannot  enter  into  the  real  presence  of  true  worth 
unless  we  fully  appreciate  the  real  worth  of  true 
worth ;  and  all  appreciation  is  based  upon  gratitude. 
The  more  grateful  we  are  for  the  good  things  that 
come  to  us  now  the  more  good  things  we  shall  re- 
ceive in  the  future.  This  is  a  great  metaphysical 
law,  and  we  shall  find  it  most  profitable  to  comply 
exactly  with  this  law,  no  matter  what  the  circum- 
stances may  be.  Be  grateful  for  everything  and  you 
will  constantly  receive  more  of  everything ;  thus  the 


112  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

simple  act  of  being  grateful  becomes  a  path  to  per- 
petual increase.  The  reason  why  is  found  in  the 
fact  that  whenever  you  enter  into  the  mental  atti- 
tude of  real  gratitude  your  mind  is  drawn  into  much 
closer  contact  with  that  power  that  produces  the 
good  things  received.  In  other  words,  to  be  grate- 
ful for  what  we  have  received  is  to  draw  more 
closely  to  the  source  of  that  which  we  receive.  The 
good  things  that  come  to  us  come  because  we  have 
properly  employed  certain  laws,  and  when  we  are 
grateful  for  the  results  gained  we  enter  into  more 
perfect  harmony  with  those  laws  and  thus  become 
able  to  employ  those  laws  to  still  greater  advan- 
tage in  the  immediate  future.  This  anyone  can 
understand,  and  those  who  do  not  know  that  grati- 
tude produces  this  effect  should  try  it  and  watch 
results. 

The  attitude  of  gratitude  brings  the  whole  mind 
into  more  perfect  and  more  harmonious  relations 
with  all  the  laws  and  powers  of  life.  The  grateful 
mind  gains  a  firmer  hold,  so  to  speak,  upon  those 
things  in  life  that  can  produce  increase.  This  is 
simply  illustrated  in  personal  experience  where  we 
find  that  we  always  feel  nearer  to  that  person  to 
whom  we  express  real  gratitude.  When  you  thank 
a  person  and  truly  mean  it  with  heart  and  soul  you 
feel  nearer  to  that  person  than  you  ever  did  before. 
Likewise,  when  we  express  whole-souled  thanksgiv- 
ing to  everything  and  everybody  for  everything  that 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  113 

comes  into  life  we  draw  closer  and  closer  to  all  the 
elements  and  powers  of  life.  In  other  words,  we 
draw  closer  to  the  real  source  from  which  all  good 
things  in  life  proceed. 

When  we  consider  this  principle  from  another 
point  of  view  we  find  that  the  act  of  being  grateful 
is  an  absolute  necessity,  if  we  wish  to  accomplish  as 
much  as  we  have  the  power  to  accomplish.  To  be 
grateful  in  this  large,  universal  sense  is  to  enter  into 
harmony  and  contact  with  the  greatest,  the  highest 
and  the  best  in  life.  We  thus  gain  possession  of  the 
superior  elements  of  mind  and  soul  and,  in  conse- 
quence, gain  the  power  to  become  more  and  achieve 
more,  no  matter  what  our  object  or  work  may  be. 
Everything  that  will  place  us  in  a  more  perfect  rela- 
tion with  life,  and  thus  enable  us  to  appropriate  the 
greater  richness  of  life,  should  be  employed  with 
the  greatest  of  earnestness,  and  deep  whole-souled 
gratitude  does  possess  a  marvelous  power  in  this 
respect.  Its  great  value,  however,  is  not  confined  to 
the  laws  just  mentioned.  Its  power  is  exceptional 
in  another  and  equally  important  field. 

To  be  grateful  is  to  think  of  the  best,  therefore 
the  grateful  mind  keeps  the  eye  constantly  upon  the 
best;  and,  according  to  another  metaphysical  law, 
we  grow  into  the  likeness  of  that  which  we  think  of 
the  most.  The  mind  that  is  always  dissatisfied  fixes 
attention  upon  the  common,  the  ordinary  and  the 
inferior,  and  thus  grows  into  the  likeness  of  those 


114  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

things.  The  creative  forces  within  us  are  constantly 
making  us  just  like  those  things  upon  which  we 
habitually  concentrate  attention.  Therefore,  to 
mentally  dwell  upon  the  inferior  is  to  become  in- 
ferior, while  to  keep  the  eye  single  upon  the  best 
is  to  daily  become  better.  The  grateful  mind  is 
constantly  looking  for  the  best,  thus  holding  atten- 
tion upon  the  best  and  daily  growing  into  the  like- 
ness of  the  best.  The  grateful  mind  expects  only 
good  things,  and  will  always  secure  good  things  out 
of  everything  that  comes.  What  we  constantly  ex- 
pect we  receive,  and  when  we  constantly  expect  to 
get  good  out  of  everything  we  cause  everything  to 
produce  good.  Therefore,  to  the  grateful  mind  all 
things  will  at  all  times  work  together  for  good,  and 
this  means  perpetual  increase  in  everything  that 
can  add  to  the  happiness  and  the  welfare  of  man. 
This  being  true,  and  anyone  can  prove  it  to  be  true, 
the  proper  course  to  pursue  is  to  cultivate  the  habit 
of  being  grateful  for  everything  that  comes.  Give 
thanks  eternally  to  the  Most  High  for  everything 
and  feel  deeply  grateful  every  moment  to  every  liv- 
ing creature.  All  things  are  so  situated  that  they 
can  be  of  some  service  to  us,  and  all  things  have 
somewhere  at  sometime  been  instrumental  in  add- 
ing to  our  welfare.  We  must  therefore,  to  be  just 
and  true,  express  perpetual  gratitude  to  everything 
that  has  existence.  Be  thankful  to  yourself.  Be 
thankful  to  every  soul  in  the  world,  and  most  of  all 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  115 

be  thankful  to  the  Creator  of  all  that  is.  Live  in 
perpetual  thanksgiving  to  all  the  world,  and  express 
the  deepest,  sincerest,  most  whole-souled  gratitude 
you  can  feel  within  whenever  something  of  value 
comes  into  your  life. 

When  other  things  come,  pass  them  by;  never 
mind  them  in  the  least.  You  know  that  the  good 
in  greater  and  greater  abundance  is  eternally  com- 
ing into  your  life,  and  for  this  give  thanks  with  re- 
joicing; you  know  that  every  wish  of  the  heart  is 
being  supplied;  be  thankful  that  this  is  true,  and 
you  will  draw  nearer  and  nearer  to  that  place  in 
life  where  that  can  be  realized  that  you  know  is  on 
the  way  to  realization.  Live  according  to  this  prin- 
ciple for  a  brief  period  of  time,  and  the  result  will 
be  that  your  life  will  change  for  the  better  to  such 
a  degree  that  you  will  feel  infinitely  more  grateful 
than  you  ever  felt  before.  You  will  then  find  that 
thanksgiving  is  a  necessary  part  of  real  living,  and 
you  will  also  find  that  the  more  grateful  you  are  for 
every  ideal  that  has  been  made  real,  the  more  power 
you  gain  to  press  on  to  those  greater  heights  where 
you  will  find  every  ideal  to  be  real.  And  when  this 
realization  begins  you  are  on  the  path  to  perpetual 
increase,  because  the  more  you  receive  the  more 
grateful  you  feel,  and  the  more  grateful  you  feel 
for  that  which  has  been  received  the  more  closely 
you  will  live  to  that  Source  that  can  give  you  more. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

CONSIDEE  THE  LILIES. 

Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field,  how  they  grow;  they 
toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin;  yet  I  say  unto  you, 
that  even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed 
like  one  of  these — Mat.  6;  28,  29. 

The  greatest  service  that  anyone  can  render  to 
the  race  is  to  properly  fill  the  place  he  occupies  now, 
to  be  himself  to-day;  but  it  is  not  only  others  that 
will  benefit  by  such  individual  actions.  The  indi- 
vidual himself  will  receive  greater  good  from  life 
through  this  method  than  through  all  other  methods 
combined.  The  great  secret  of  secrets  is  to  live 
your  own  life  in  your  own  world  as  well  as  you  pos- 
sibly can  now.  In  this  age  thousands  are  seeking 
the  path  of  spiritual  growth  and  high  intellectual 
attainments,  while  millions  are  dreaming  of  the  life 
beautiful ;  accordingly,  systems  almost  without  num- 
ber are  springing  up  everywhere,  claiming  to  reveal 
the  hidden  path  to  these  greater  goals ;  but  it  is  the 
truth  that  when  everything  has  been  said,  the  one 
statement  that  rises  above  them  all  is  this:  Be  all 
that  you  are  to-day  and  you  shall  be  even  more  to- 
morrow. If  you  are  in  search  of  higher  spiritual 

no 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  117 

and  intellectual  attainments  enter  into  every  form 
of  wisdom  that  surrounds  you  to-day  and  fill  your 
life  with  as  much  spirit  as  you  can  possibly  realize. 
If  you  wish  to  live  an  ideal  life,  then  aim  to  make 
real  the  most  beautiful  life  that  you  can  think  of 
to-day.  If  you  are  longing  for  greater  accomplish- 
ments and  a  larger  sphere  of  usefulness,  then  be 
your  very  best  in  the  place  that  you  occupy  now. 

The  mighty  oak  grows  great  because  it  grows  in 
the  present;  it  does  not  think  of  the  past  or  the 
future ;  it  is  what  it  is  now ;  it  does  not  wish  to  be- 
come mighty;  it  simply  grows  on  silently  and  con- 
tinually. The  lily  of  the  field  is  beautiful  because 
it  is  perfectly  satisfied  to  be  a  lily,  but  it  is  not  sat- 
isfied to  be  less  than  all  a  lily  can  be.  It  does  not 
strive  or  work  hard  to  become  beautiful;  it  simply 
goes  on  being  what  it  is,  and  the  result  is  it  has 
been  made  immortal  by  the  greatest  mind  that  ever 
lived.  When  we  follow  the  example  of  the  lily  we 
find  the  real  secret  of  life,  so  simply  and  clearly 
stated  that  any  one  can  understand.  Be  what 
you  are  to-day.  Do  not  be  satisfied  to  be  less  than 
you  can  to-day  and  do  not  strive  to  be  more.  Pro- 
gress, growth,  advancement,  attainment— these  do 
not  come  through  overreaching.  The  mind  that 
overreaches  will  have  a  reaction;  he  will  fall  to  the 
bottom  and  will  have  to  begin  all  over  again.  Real 
attainment  comes  by  being  your  best  where  you  are 
just  for  to-day,  by  filling  the  present  moment  with 


118  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

all  the  life  you  are  conscious  of;  no  more.  If  you 
try  to  express  more  life  than  you  can  comfortably 
feel  in  consciousness,  you  are  overreaching  and  you 
will  have  a  fall.  The  great  mistake  of  the  age  is  to 
strive,  to  go  about  our  work  as  if  it  were  extremely 
difficult.  The  man  who  works  the  hardest  usually 
accomplishes  the  least;  while  the  truly  great  man 
is  the  man  who  has  trained  his  life  and  his  power 
to  work  through  him. 

The  lilies  of  the  field  are  not  engaged  in  hard 
labor,  and  yet  their  usefulness  cannot  be  measured; 
they  are  fulfilling  their  true  purpose ;  they  are  mak- 
ing real  the  ideal  in  their  own  world  and  they  are 
living  inspirations  to  every  soul  in  existence.  They 
live  to  be  beautiful  and  they  become  beautiful,  not 
by  being  ambitious  for  beauty,  but  by  permitting 
all  the  beauty  they  possess  to  come  forth.  What  is 
within  us  is  constantly  pressing  for  expression.  We 
do  not  have  to  call  it  forth  nor  labor  so  much  to 
bring  it  into  action.  All  we  are  required  to  do  is 
to  permit  ourselves  to  be  what  we  are,  to  permit 
what  is  within  to  express  itself  fully  and  completely. 
We  do  not  have  to  work  so  hard  to  become  great. 
We  are  all  naturally  great,  and  our  potential  great- 
ness is  ever  ready  to  manifest,  if  we  would  only 
cease  our  striving  and  let  life  live.  The  lily  is  beau- 
tiful because  it  does  not  hinder  its  own  inherent 
beauty  from  coming  forth  to  be  seen ;  but  if  the  lily 
should  take  up  the  strenuous  life  it  would  in  one 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL  119 

generation  become  a  despised  weed.  The  human 
race  to-day  resembles  in  too  many  instances  the  use- 
less weed.  Millions  in  every  generation  come  and 
go  without  accomplishing  anything  -whatever.  They 
do  not  even  live  a  life  that  gives  contentment.  The 
reason  is  they  strive  too  much,  and  in  their  striv- 
ing destroy  the  very  powers  that  can  produce  great- 
ness. We  have  worked  hard  for  results,  not  know- 
ing that  the  only  cause  of  results  was  within  us, 
ready  to  produce  the  very  results  we  desired,  just 
for  the  asking.  We  have  in  many  instances  de- 
stroyed our  brains  trying  to  invent  methods  for 
producing  health,  happiness,  power  and  success,  not 
knowing  that  these  things  already  existed  within  us 
in  abundant  supply,  and  that  by  wholesome  thinking 
they  would  appear  in  full  external  expression. 

The  secret  of  secrets  is  to  let  the  best  within  us 
have  full  right  of  way;  this,  however,  most  of  us 
have  failed  to  do.  In  consequence,  the  majority  are 
undeveloped  weaklings  of  little  use  to  themselves  or 
to  the  world.  The  lily  permits  that  which  is  to  have 
right  of  way.  It  does  not  interfere,  but  man  does 
interfere.  He  usually  refuses  to  accept  the  gifts 
which  nature  wishes  to  bestow  upon  him,  and  he 
hardly  ever  accepts  assistance  from  a  higher  power. 
He  sets  out  for  himself  and  works  himself  into  old 
age  and  death  trying  to  gain  what  was  actually 
given  to  him  in  the  beginning.  He  leaves  the  real 
riches  of  life  and  enters  the  world  of  personal  am- 


120  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

bition  expecting  to  find  something  better  and  create 
something  superior  through  his  own  efforts,  but  he 
fails  because  man  alone  can  do  nothing.  The  aver- 
age person  does  not  realize  that  to  create  some- 
thing from  nothing  is  impossible,  nor  has  he  learned 
that  the  necessary  something  can  come  only  from 
the  life  that  is  within.  He  may  try  to  accomplish 
much  and  become  much  through  personal  ambition 
and  hard  work,  but  no  one  can  build  without  ma- 
terial, and  the  material  that  is  needed  in  building 
greatness  can  be  secured  only  by  giving  right  of  way 
to  the  life  and  the  power  of  the  inner  world.  The 
man  who  expects  to  build  greatness  upon  personal 
limitations  will  pass  away  in  the  effort,  leaving  his 
unfinished  work  to  be  taken  up  by  some  one  else  who 
will  possibly  build  upon  the  same  useless  founda- 
tion. Thus  one  generation  after  another  comes  and 
goes,  each  expecting  to  succeed  where  predecessors 
failed;  in  the  meantime  very  little  is  accomplished 
by  man,  and  he  fails  to  receive  what  infinite  life  is 
ever  waiting  to  give. 

This  is  the  truth  about  man  in  general.  The  mul- 
titudes have  come  and  gone  during  countless  ages 
and  have  accomplished  but  little.  There  have  been 
a  few  great  exceptions  in  every  age,  but  these  were 
exceptions  because  they  refused  to  follow  the  ways 
of  the  world.  They  learned  the  lesson  that  the 
lilies  have  taught,  and  they  chose  to  let  life  live, 
to  let  the  greatness  from  within  come  forth,  to  let 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  121 

power  work,  and  to  let  that  which  is  in  the  real  of 
man  have  full  right  of  way.  When  a  person  dis- 
covers what  he  is  and  permits  that  which  he  is  to 
have  full  expression,  his  days  of  weariness,  trouble 
and  failure  are  gone.  Henceforth  he  will  live  as  the 
flower.  His  life  will  be  full.  He  will  fulfill  his  pur- 
pose and  eternally  become  more  and  more  of  that 
which  already  is  in  the  great  within.  When  a  flower, 
which  has  so  little  of  soul  within  itself,  can  become 
so  much  by  permitting  itself  to  be  itself,  how  much 
more  might  man  become  if  he  would  permit  him- 
self to  be  himself.  Man  is  created  in  the  image 
of  God,  therefore  marvels  are  hidden  within  his 
wonderful  soul.  When  these  marvels  are  given  full 
expression  then  man  begins  to  become  that  which 
the  Infinite  intended  that  he  should  be.  In  the  soul 
of  the  lily  is  hidden  the  spirit  of  beauty;  nothing 
more.  But  the  lily  does  not  hinder  this  spirit  from 
appearing  in  visible  form;  therefore,  it  becomes  an 
inspiration  of  joy  to  all  the  world.  In  the  soul  of 
man  even  the  Infinite  is  hidden;  we  can  therefore 
imagine  what  man  will  become  when  he  permits  the 
spirit  of  divinity  to  express  itself  in  his  personal 
form.  This  is  a  great  truth,  indeed,  and  deserves 
constant  attention  from  every  mind  that  has  learned 
to  think. 

We  may  believe  that  every  step  forward  that  we 
have  taken  has  been  produced  through  personal 
efforts  and  hard  work,  but  in  this  we  are  mistaken. 


122  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

In  the  first  place,  those  achievements  that  have  fol- 
lowed hard  work  are  always  insignificant  and  never 
of  any  permanent  value,  but  those  steps  forward 
that  have  permanent  value  and  that  are  truly  great 
we  find  were  taken  during  those  moments  when  we 
permitted  real  life  to  live.  We  therefore  find  that 
striving  accomplishes  nothing,  while  we  may 
through  living,  accomplish  anything.  There  are 
times  when  many  of  us  cease  our  strenuous  labor 
for  a  few  moments  and  unconsciously  open  our  souls 
to  that  higher  something  that  we  feel  so  much  the 
need  of  when  wearied  with  misdirected  labors,  and 
the  influx  of  real  life  that  comes  at  such  times  is 
the  cause  of  those  real  steps  upward  and  onward 
that  we  have  taken.  At  such  times  we  chose  to  be 
like  the  lily;  we  permitted  the  good  that  was 
to  come  forth;  we  gave  up,  so  to  speak,  to  higher 
power  and  did  not  interfere  with  its  highest,  fullest 
expression.  "What  we  gain  at  such  moments  is  al- 
ways with  us  and  never  fails  to  give  us  strength, 
power  and  inspiration  even  when  we  decide  for  the 
time  being  to  adopt  the  ways  of  the  world  once  more. 
But  since  every  step  in  advance  comes  when  we  re- 
fuse to  go  the  way  of  the  world,  we  should  now 
understand  that  the  way  of  the  world  is  a  mistake. 
We  should  therefore  free  ourselves  from  that  mode 
of  life,  thought  and  action  absolutely. 

The  world  seeks  to  gain  greater  things  through 
personal  ambition  and  hard  work.    The  true  way 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  123 

to  attain  greater  things  is  to  permit  the  greatness 
that  is  within  to  have  full  expression ;  likewise  when 
we  seek  health,  happiness  and  harmony  or  a  beauti- 
ful life,  the  true  course  is  to  permit  those  things  to 
come  forth  and  act  through  us;  they  are  ready  to 
appear.  We  do  not  have  to  work  for  them  or  strive 
so  hard  to  secure  them.  They  are  now  at  hand  and 
will  express  themselves  through  us  the  very  mo- 
ment we  grant  them  permission.  We  have  all  dis- 
covered that  whenever  we  become  perfectly  still  and 
permit  supreme  life  to  live  in  us  we  can  feel  power 
accumulating  in  our  system  until  we  feel  as  if  we 
could  move  mountains.  We  have  also  felt  that  while 
turning  attention  to  the  everlasting  joy  within  and 
opening  the  mind  fully  to  this  joy  that  there  came 
into  being  a  state  of  happiness,  comfort  and  con- 
tentment that  seemed  infinitely  more  perfect  than 
the  imagination  has  ever  pictured  the  joys  of  heaven 
to  be.  Likewise  when  we  failed  to  find  health  in  the 
without  or  through  external  means  we  invariably 
found  the  precious  gift  coming  from  within,  the 
moment  we  gave  up,  so  to  speak,  to  its  wholesome 
life  and  power. 

In  this  age  personal  ambition  is  one  of  the  rul- 
ing factors,  and  nearly  everybody  is  trying  to  outdo 
some  one  else.  The  result  is  we  build  up  and  tear 
down  in  the  outer  world,  but  as  a  race  we  improve 
but  little.  The  great  within  is  ignored,  held  back 
or  prevented  from  free  expression,  while  there  are 


124  THE  IDEAL  MADE  BEAL 

few  things  in  the  great  without  that  are  really  worth 
while.  There  never  was  a  time  when  we  should  con- 
sider the  lilies  of  the  field  more  than  now.  The 
human  race  is  breaking  itself  down  striving  to  gain 
hold  upon  phantoms,  while  the  great  prize  that  has 
already  been  given  is  lost  sight  of  in  the  dust  and 
confusion.  But  to  inspire  the  present  generation 
with  a  desire  to  return  to  nature  and  her  beautiful 
ways  cannot  be  done  to  any  extent,  however,  except 
through  living  examples.  It  is  the  living  of  life  that 
will  change  the  life  of  the  world.  The  world  at  large 
does  not  listen  to  reason,  nor  can  those  who  are  in  the 
mad  rush  stop  to  think ;  besides,  such  minds  are  not 
sufficiently  clear  to  understand  the  principles  upon 
which  the  living  of  life  is  based.  Seeing  is  believing, 
as  far  as  the  world  is  concerned,  and  therefore  they 
require  living  examples  of  those  who  have  proven 
the  superiority  of  the  better  way ;  accordingly,  those 
who  know  how  to  live  as  the  lilies  live  should  con- 
sider it  a  privilege  to  place  their  light  wherever  it 
can  be  seen.  When  you  can  prove  through  your 
own  life  and  experience  that  personal  ambition  and 
hard  work  are  not  necessary  to  greater  things,  but 
are  actual  hindrances,  and  that  greater  things  come 
of  themselves  to  those  who  will  permit  themselves 
to  be  themselves,  you  have  caused  a  great  light  to 
spring  up,  and  few  there  are  who  will  not  see  it. 

Those  who  take  everything  literally  may  wonder 
how  anything  can  be  accomplished  without  work,  but 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  125 

they  must  bear  in  mind  that  there  is  work,  and  work. 
The  work  that  is  done  by  those  who  are  down  in  the 
world's  way  is  hard,  wearing  and  tearing.  It  is 
destructive  to  human  life  and  builds  up  one  thing 
by  tearing  down  another,  and  in  the  end  it  brings  no 
lasting  good,  neither  to  the  individual  nor  to  the 
race;  but  the  work  that  is  done  by  those  who  have 
found  the  better  way  is  neither  hard  nor  wearisome. 
It  is  not  done  through  strenuous  living  nor  external 
striving,  but  is  done  by  the  power  of  the  great 
within  coming  forth  into  expression  in  personal  life. 
In  this  mode  of  work  you  first  give  your  inner  power 
right  of  way,  then  you  direct  it  consciously  and  in- 
telligently. You  do  not  depend  upon  personal  power 
and  difficult  personal  efforts.  You  place  yourself  in 
the  hands  of  higher  power,  and  as  you  receive 
higher  power  you  cause  it  to  do  that  which  you  wish 
to  have  done.  You  have  all  felt  power  working 
through  you,  and  at  such  times  work  was  pleasure. 
You  gave  the  commands,  of  course,  and  you  knew 
it  was  your  own  power,  your  own  higher  power,  but 
no  hard  personal  effort  was  required.  You  simply 
opened  the  way  somehow,  then  decided  firmly  but 
gently  what  you  wished  to  have  done ;  and  you  could 
feel  a  mighty  power  coming  forth,  seemingly  from 
an  inexhaustible  source,  taking  full  possession  of 
thought  and  muscle,  and  doing  the  very  thing  you 
desired  to  have  done.  After  the  work  was  finished 
you  discovered  it  was  superior  work,  and  although 


126  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

you  had  engaged  in  the  task  for  many  hours  you 
actually  felt  stronger  than  when  you  began. 

The  reason  why  is  simple.  You  did  not  depend 
upon  personal  limitations  and  strenuous  efforts; 
and  you  did  not  try  to  make  those  limitations  do 
a  great  deal  more  than  they  had  the  capacity  to  do. 
You  opened  your  life  to  all  the  power  of  your  life 
and  you  thus  received  enough  power  to  do  what  you 
wished  to  have  done,  and  more ;  and  so  long  as  you 
have  power  to  spare  you  can  be  neither  weak  nor 
tired.  When  the  system  is  thoroughly  full  of 
energy,  work  is  a  pleasure ;  and  so  long  as  that  full- 
ness continues  weariness  is  impossible ;  and  there  is 
enough  power  in  real  life  to  cause  your  system  to  be 
full  of  energy,  and  more,  at  all  times  no  matter  how 
much  you  may  do  or  how  great  your  task  may  be. 

When  we  consider  the  lilies  of  the  field,  how  they 
grow,  we  find  that  they  naturally  permit  the  life  that 
is  within  them  to  unfold;  they  do  not  try  to  grow; 
they  have,  as  everything  has,  the  power  of  growth 
within  them  and  they  grow  because  they  do  not 
hinder  that  interior  power  and  growth  from  hav- 
ing their  way.  Likewise,  when  we  know  that  di- 
vinity reigns  within  us  we  do  not  have  to  work  hard 
nor  many  years  to  reach  that  state.  We  will  grow 
and  develop,  both  mentally  and  spiritually,  when  we 
permit  the  divinity  within  to  unfold.  Everything 
seeks  self-expression.  Nothing  in  nature,  visible  or 
invisible,  will  have  to  be  forced  into  expression,  be- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  127 

cause  at  the  very  heart  of  all  things  there  is  the 
deep,  strong  desire  to  come  forth  and  be.  There- 
fore, if  we  wish  to  ascend  in  the  scale  of  life,  we 
must  cease  those  confused  and  destructive  states 
of  mind  that  hinder  expression,  and  become  as  the 
lilies  of  the  field.  Give  the  life  within  permission 
to  really  live  in  us.  The  life  within  will  live  our  life 
and  give  us  a  beautiful  life.  The  power  within  will 
do  our  work  and  do  that  work  extremely  well.  The 
divinity  within  will  make  us  God-like  in  all  things, 
and  never  cease  to  give  us  the  things  of  the  spirit 
so  long  as  we  permit  those  things  to  come  forth  and 
abide  in  personal  existence. 

What  we  are  required  to  do  that  such  things  may 
come  to  pass  is  to  live,  think  and  act  in  the  likeness 
of  the  Infinite.  God  is,  and  He  permits  Himself  to 
be  what  He  is.  Man  must  do  likewise,  and  all  shall 
be  well  with  him.  Those  who  do  not  understand 
may  think  that  the  individuality  of  man  might 
diminish,  if  he  were  to  give  himself  up  to  the  life 
and  the  power  within,  but  such  a  conclusion  will  dis- 
appear when  we  realize  that  the  power  from  within 
is  our  own.  We  are  simply  causing  ourselves  to  be- 
come more  and  more  of  what  we  already  are  in 
reality.  By  giving  free  expression  to  our  own 
higher,  interior  powers  we  naturally  become  more 
powerful,  and  by  giving  free  expression  to  our  own 
inherent  divinity  we  naturally  become  more  God-like 
and  more  spiritual  on  every  plane  of  being.  The 


128  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

lilies  of  the  field  do  not  become  inferior  lilies  by 
permitting  the  spirit  of  the  beautiful  to  unfold  from 
within  their  gentle  lives.  It  is  by  this  method  that 
they  become  what  they  are,  and  they  become  so  much 
that  the  glory  of  artificial  man  can  never  compare 
with  theirs.  It  is  the  same  with  the  human  soul. 
The  soul  becomes  great  and  beautiful  by  permitting 
its  own  greatness  and  loveliness  to  come  forth  un- 
hindered and  undisturbed. 

Thousands  of  people  are  at  present  trying  to  de- 
velop higher  powers.  Many  of  these  actually  try  to 
work  hard  in  their  efforts  to  gain  the  various  gifts 
of  mind  and  soul,  and  because  they  do  not  succeed 
to  any  great  extent  they  frequently  become  discour- 
aged and  give  up,  wondering  whether  or  no  the  real 
truth  has  been  found.  Others  being  ambitious  to 
become  great  in  the  world  try  to  employ  spiritual 
laws  in  the  furthering  of  their  personal  aims,  but 
they  find  the  reactions  so  disagreeable  that  the  prize 
is  not  worth  the  labor.  To  fly  to  the  top  at  once 
is  the  ruling  passion  among  many  and  when  they 
fail  with  whatever  methods  they  may  employ  they 
conclude  that  what  passes  for  truth  is  nothing  but 
man-made  doctrines.  The  fact  is,  however,  that  the 
truth  always  appears  to  be  the  untruth  when  mis- 
directed. To  apply  the  principles  of  real  truth  in 
the  furthering  of  any  lofty  aim  we  may  have  in 
mind,  the  first  essential  is  to  establish  life  in  perfect 
touch  with  eternal  life;  the  second  essential  is  to 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  129 

positively  determine  what  we  expect  to  attain  and 
become  in  actual  personal  living;  and  the  third  es- 
sential is  to  proceed  in  the  attainment  of  health, 
happiness  and  harmony.  Without  health  nothing 
of  permanent  value  can  be  accomplished.  Without 
happiness  our  talents  will  be  as  the  flowers  without 
sunshine,  and  without  harmony  most  of  the  power 
we  might  receive  would  be  thrown  away. 

To  obtain  health,  happiness  and  harmony  we  need 
simply  let  life  live.  Real  life  already  has  these 
things,  and  when  we  let  life  live  in  us  those  things 
will  be  expressed  through  us.  The  next  essential 
is  to  resolve  that  we  will  be  fully  contented  simply 
to  live.  To  shine  in  the  world,  to  acquire  fame  or 
to  do  something  wonderful  that  mankind  may  long 
remember  us,  that  we  will  not  think  of.  Many  a  per- 
son has  worked  hard  for  fame  and  died  early,  in 
obscurity.  Fame  in  itself,  however,  is  of  no  value. 
When  you  are  neither  happy  nor  well,  fame  cannot 
make  your  life  worth  while.  If  you  are  miserable, 
it  will  profit  nothing  if  everybody  may  know  your 
name.  It  is  not  the  praise  of  man  that  we  should 
seek,  but  the  life  of  the  Infinite.  The  praise  of  the 
world  can  give  us  nothing,  but  life  from  within  can 
give  us  everything  that  the  heart  can  wish  for. 

True  fame  comes  to  him  who  deserves  it  without 
his  trying  to  get  it,  but  those  only  can  deserve  the 
honor  of  the  race  who  have  always  been  their  best, 
who  have  not  neglected  a  single  opportunity  to  be 


130  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

of  service,  and  who  have  lived  constantly  for  the 
one  purpose  of  being  an  inspiration  to  every  soul. 
We  may  look  at  this  phase  of  the  subject  as  we  may, 
we  can  come  to  only  one  conclusion.  He  alone  is 
great  and  deserving  of  honor  who  so  lives  that  he 
always  is  all  that  God  made  him  to  be ;  and  it  is  such 
a  life  that  is  lived  by  the  lilies  of  the  field.  When 
man  will  be  as  true  to  his  large  world  as  the  lilies 
are  to  their  small  world,  mankind  will  become  a  race 
of  gods  indeed,  and  the  Utopian  dreams  of  the 
prophets  will  come  true.  This,  however,  the  ordi- 
nary thinker  may  declare  to  be  impossible,  but  noth- 
ing is  impossible.  If  a  flower  can  be  true  to  itself 
in  its  world,  man  can  be  true  to  himself  in  his  world. 
Those  who  are  accustomed  to  the  worldly  methods 
of  thinking  and  working  may  feel  that  it  is  hardly 
possibly  to  apply  these  new  ideas  while  associated 
with  worldly  minds,  but  we  must  remember  that  it 
is  not  where  we  work  or  at  what  we  work,  but  how 
we  work  that  determines  what  results  are  to  be.  To 
so  work  that  you  permit  the  boundless  power  within 
to  work  through  you  is  the  secret,  and  this  will  not 
only  cause  your  work  to  be  pleasant,  but  will  also 
cause  you  to  do  better  and  better  work  every  day. 
It  is  therefore  the  royal  path  to  pleasantness  to-day 
and  greater  things  tomorrow.  In  the  old  way  you 
are  compelled  to  almost  wear  yourself  out  to-day  in 
order  that  you  might  provide  for  tomorrow ;  but  not 
so  in  the  new.  While  you  are  providing  for  to- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  131 

morrow  you  are  not  only  enjoying  life  to-day,  but 
you  are,  through  the  expression  of  greater  and 
greater  power  from  within,  making  yourself  larger, 
stronger  and  greater  to-day.  In  the  development  of 
talents  you  employ  the  same  principle.  You  do  not 
strive  for  greatness;  you  know  that  you  are  poten- 
tially great  already,  and  by  permitting  this  greatness 
to  become  alive  in  you,  you  will  accomplish  great 
things. 

When  you  apply  this  principle  in  everything  that 
you  do,  you  will  find  your  advancement  to  be  steady 
and  even  rapid ;  you  will  move  forward  in  all  things, 
making  the  ideal  real  as  you  ascend  in  the  scale. 
The  very  moment  you  find  a  new  ideal  you  find  that 
power  within  you  that  can  make  that  ideal  real ;  thus 
your  advancement  becomes  continuous,  your  pro- 
gress eternal.  To  live  the  life  beautiful  we  simply 
let  life  live.  We  know  that  life,  itself,  is  beautiful 
and  when  we  permit  that  life  that  is  beautiful  to  live 
in  us,  we  will  live  consciously  and  personally  the  most 
beautiful  life  that  we  can  picture  in  the  ideal  with- 
out making  any  personal  effort  to  do  so.  When  we 
begin  to  live,  think  and  act  according  to  these  princi- 
ples we  feel  that  we  are  carried  on  and  on  by  some 
mysterious  presence  that  seems  to  be  doing  every- 
thing for  us  while  giving  us  the  pleasure  and  the 
glory.  We  soon  learn,  however,  that  this  presence  is 
ourself,  our  own  larger,  superior  self  created  in  the 
image  of  God;  therefore,  able  to  do  everything  that 


132  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

we  may  wish  to  have  done;  and  it  is  a  joy,  indeed, 
to  feel  everything  moving  so  smoothly  and  gently, 
so  harmoniously  and  pleasantly,  and  at  the  same 
time  producing  such  great  results. 

To  engage  in  some  extraordinary  work  becomes 
one  of  our  greatest  pleasures,  because  nothing  is 
hard  or  difficult  any  more;  obstacles  disappear  the 
very  moment  we  enter  their  presence,  and  we  re- 
alize inwardly  that  whatever  we  undertake  to  do 
will  be  accomplished.  We  no  longer  tremble  when 
in  the  midst  of  events  that  require  exceptional  wis- 
dom and  power;  we  know  that  wisdom  is  ready  to 
speak  whatever  may  be  necessary  now,  and  that 
power  is  at  hand  to  do  whatever  may  be  necessary 
to  be  done  now.  We  are  in  touch  with  the  great- 
ness of  the  great  within  and  may  draw  upon  that 
great,  inexhaustible  source  whatever  we  may  need 
at  any  time.  Fear  takes  flight,  while  faith  becomes 
stronger,  higher  and  more  perfect;  sorrow  and  der 
spair  are  no  more,  because  all  things  are  working 
for  the  best.  Even  in  the  presence  of  death  and 
loss  we  see  more  life  and  greater  gain.  We  know 
that  what  passes  away  merely  ascends  that  it  may 
live  more  and  be  itself  in  a  larger,  higher  measure 
than  it  ever  was  before.  We  know  that  whatever 
comes  will  bring  the  new  and  the  more  beautiful. 
It  could  not  be  otherwise,  because  having  chosen  to 
be  all  that  we  are,  the  all  can  never  cease  to  come, 
and  the  more  the  all  continues  to  come  the  more  the 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  133 

all  will  continue  to  bring.  We  have  laid  aside  the 
illusions  of  the  world  and  adopted  the  ways  of  truth. 
We  have  beheld  the  beauties  of  nature  and  have 
opened  our  minds  to  the  visions  of  the  soul.  These 
have  given  us  the  secret,  and  like  the  lilies  of  the 
field,  we  have  learned  to  be  still  and  live. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

COUNT  IT  ALL  JOY. 

We  meet  something  at  almost  every  turn  that  we 
think  ought  to  be  different.  If  we  have  high  ideals, 
we  may  not  feel  satisfied  to  permit  those  conditions 
to  remain  as  they  are;  we  may  even  complain  or 
antagonize.  On  the  other  hand,  if  our  ideals  be  low, 
we  may  feel  wholly  indifferent,  but  then  we  find  that 
those  things  go  from  bad  to  worse.  What  we  seek, 
however,  is  our  present  comfort  on  the  one  hand 
and  the  betterment  of  everything  about  us  on  the 
other  hand,  and  we  wish  to  know  how  this  may  be 
brought  about  in  the  midst  of  the  confusion,  the  ig- 
norance and  the  ills  that  we  find  in  the  world.  When 
we  are  indifferent  to  the  wrong  it  becomes  worse; 
therefore,  even  for  our  own  good  we  must  do  some- 
thing with  those  adverse  conditions  that  exist  in  the 
home,  in  society,  or  in  the  state.  We  must  meet  all 
those  things  and  meet  them  properly,  but  the  prob- 
lem is,  how? 

To  antagonize,  criticise  or  condemn  never  helps 
matters  in  the  least;  besides,  such  states  of  mind 
are  a  detriment  to  one 's  own  peace  and  health.  The 
critical  mind  wears  itself  out  while  thinking  about 

134 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  135 

the  wrong,  but  the  wrong  in  the  meantime  goes  on 
becoming  worse.  To  feel  disappointed  because  the 
universe  does  not  move  according  to  our  fancy  will 
not  change  the  universe,  but  it  will  produce  weak- 
ness in  our  own  mind  and  body.  That  person  who 
lives  constantly  in  the  world  of  despondency  will 
soon  lose  all  hold  upon  life;  he  consequently  does 
nothing  in  the  world  but  bring  about  the  end  of  his 
own  personal  life.  The  usual  way  of  dealing  with  the 
problems  of  life  solves  nothing.  The  ordinary  way 
of  meeting  temptation  gives  the  tempter  greater 
power,  while  the  person  who  tries  to  resist  is  usually 
entrapped  in  adversity  and  trouble.  But  St.  Paul 
has  told  us  what  to  do  under  all  such  circumstances. 
Count  it  all  joy.  That  is  the  secret.  Count  it  all 
joy  no  matter  what  may  come,  agreeing  with  all  ad- 
versity at  once,  antagonizing  nothing,  condemning 
no  one,  leaving  criticism  alone.  Never  be  disap- 
pointed or  discouraged,  and  have  nothing  whatever 
to  do  with  worry.  Whatever  comes,  count  it  all  joy. 
He  who  meets  adversity  in  the  attitude  of  peace, 
harmony  and  joy  will  turn  enemies  into  friends  and 
failures  into  greater  good. 

When  things  do  not  come  your  way,  never  mind. 
Continue  to  count  everything  joy,  and  everything 
will  change  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  you  joy.  If 
you  are  seeking  the  best,  all  things  will  work  to- 
gether in  such  a  way  as  to  give  you  the  best,  and 
your  heart's  desire  shall  be  realized;  possibly  not 


136  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

to-day,  but  life  is  long;  you  can  wait.  That  which 
is  good  is  always  good;  it  is  always  welcome  when- 
ever it  comes.  In  the  meantime  you  are  living  in 
harmony  and  joy,  and  that  in  itself  is  surely  a  great 
good.  That  person  who  lives  constantly  in  gloom 
drives  even  the  sunshine  out  of  his  own  mind;  the 
clouds  of  gloom  are  so  heavy  that  he  fails  to  see  the 
brightness  that  is  all  about  him.  That  person,  how- 
ever, who  counts  everything  joy  will  change  every- 
thing to  brightness  and  thus  receive  joy  from  every- 
thing. When  you  fail  to  receive  what  you  sought, 
never  for  a  moment  be  disappointed.  Count  it  all 
joy.  In  fact,  be  supremely  happy;  you  have  a  rea- 
son so  to  be.  When  you  fail  to  get  what  you  seek 
it  simply  means  that  there  is  something  still  better 
in  store  for  you;  then  why  should  you  not  count 
such  an  event  great  joy.  This  is  always  the  case 
when  your  whole  desire  is  to  receive  the  best;  and 
when  you  train  yourself  to  count  everything  joy, 
your  mind  develops  that  desire  that  always  desires 
the  best. 

When  you  seek  only  the  best,  the  best  only  will 
come,  and  you  must  not  feel  disappointed  when  you 
are  taken  away  from  a  hovel  in  order  that  you  may 
enter  a  palace.  When  you  meet  enemies  or  adver- 
saries do  not  resist  them  or  enter  into  warfare ;  look 
for  terms  of  agreement.  Possibly  they  may  seem 
to  get  the  best  of  the  bargain  now,  but  you  can  af- 
ford to  give  them  the  terms  they  ask.  The  Infinite 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  BEAU  137 

is  your  supply.  When  one  door  closes  another 
opens,  and  if  you  depend  upon  the  Supreme  to  open 
that  other  door,  it  will  be  a  door  opening  into  far 
greater  and  far  better  things  than  what  you  seem- 
ingly lost ;  besides,  by  being  kind  to  your  adversary 
you  lifted  yourself  up.  You  are  now  a  higher  and  a 
greater  being.  That  means  that  you  will  now  draw 
to  yourself  higher  and  better  things;  consequently, 
it  was  not  the  enemy  that  got  the  best  terms ;  it  was 
you. 

Whatever  you  are  called  upon  to  do,  do  it  and 
be  happy.  Count  it  all  joy  that  you  are  given  the  op- 
portunity to  bring  sunshine  into  dark  places  and 
develop  your  own  latent  power  by  doing  what 
seemed  difficult.  You  are  equal  to  the  occasion,  if 
you  think  so;  therefore  you  should  consider  it  a 
privilege  to  prove  it.  The  world  is  waiting  for  great 
souls— souls  that  are  ready  to  do  what  others  failed 
to  accomplish.  You  can  become  one  of  these  great 
souls  by  proving  to  yourself  that  you  are  equal  to 
every  occasion;  and  you  will  be  equal  to  every  oc- 
casion, if  you  count  everything  joy.  When  you  are 
in  the  midst  of  temptations,  rejoice  with  your  whole 
heart.  You  have  found  a  great  opportunity  to  turn 
wrong  into  right,  and  to  turn  wrong  into  right  is 
always  a  mark  of  greatness.  Millions  of  people 
have  died  unhonored  and  unsung  who  might  have 
arisen  to  greatness  and  become  leaders  and  saviors 
in  the  world,  if  they  would  have  demonstrated  their 


138  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

superiority  in  the  midst  of  temptation,  tribulation 
and  wrong.  Look  upon  all  temptations  and  troubles 
as  opportunities  to  make  wrong  right,  and  be  glad 
that  such  opportunities  have  been  presented  to  you. 
Count  it  all  joy ;  besides,  the  result  will  not  only  pro- 
duce joy  to  yourself,  but  possibly  to  millions.  He 
who  changes  wrong  into  right  rises  in  the  scale,  and 
you  can  think  of  no  greater  good  coming  to  you  than 
this.  He  who  remains  below  must  be  counted  with 
the  small  and  the  ordinary.  He  who  goes  up  higher 
shall  gain  everything  that  his  heart  may  wish  for. 
Therefore,  whatever  comes,  or  whatever  you  meet, 
or  whatever  you  are  called  upon  to  do,  proceed  with 
peace  and  joy.  Be  glad  that  you  have  the  oppor- 
tunity to  prove  your  own  power,  and  thus  elevate 
yourself  thereby.  Be  supremely  happy  to  know  that 
you  may  change  many  things  for  the  better  through 
this  attitude,  and  thus  bless  the  lives  of  multitudes. 
Train  yourself  to  look  at  things  according  to  this 
principle,  and  you  will  find  that  everything  can  pro- 
duce joy.  Everything  can  give  cause  for  rejoicing; 
that  is,  providing  everything  is  met  in  that  attitude 
that  counts  everything  joy.  The  same  principle  may 
be  employed  to  great  advantage  in  overcoming  diffi- 
culties. When  you  are  asked  to  do  what  seems  to  be 
very  difficult,  or  when  you  are  called  upon  to  per- 
form duties  you  do  not  like,  never  refuse.  Count 
it  all  joy.  To  excuse  yourself  when  such  occasions 
appear  is  to  lose  most  valuable  opportunities. 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  139 

Every  person  desires  to  make  the  most  of  himself, 
but  to  accomplish  this  all  latent  power  must  be 
awakened,  and  there  is  nothing  that  will  bring  forth 
our  latent  powers  more  thoroughly  than  the  doing  of 
what  seems  difficult.  When  you  find  yourself 
shrinking  from  certain  tasks  you  have  discovered  a 
weak  faculty  within  yourself.  Refuse  to  let  that 
faculty  remain  in  such  a  condition.  Go  and  do  what 
you  feared  to  do  and  let  nothing  hold  you  back.  In 
this  way  the  weak  faculty  will  be  made  strong  and 
your  entire  nature  will  pass  through  most  valuable 
discipline  and  training.  Nothing  is  really  disagree- 
able unless  we  think  so.  That  is,  we  may  approach 
the  disagreeable  in  such  a  way  that  it  ceases  to  be 
disagreeable;  and  the  secret  is,  count  everything 
joy.  You  may  enter  darkness  and  gloom,  but  if  you 
are  living  in  a  world  of  brightness  and  cheer,  that 
darkness  will  not  be  darkness  to  you,  nor  will  gloom 
enter  your  mind  for  a  moment.  You  can  remain 
in  your  own  happy  world,  no  matter  what  may  hap- 
pen, no  matter  what  may  take  place  in  your  imme- 
diate environment. 

When  you  resolve  to  do  certain  things  and  pro- 
ceed with  a  conviction  that  you  will  enjoy  the  work 
thoroughly,  you  will  find  real  pleasure  in  that  work ; 
besides,  you  will  do  the  work  very  well.  Pleasure 
comes  from  within,  and  when  the  fountain  of  joy 
within  is  overflowing,  it  will  give  joy  to  everything 
that  exists  about  us.  To  cause  this  fountain  within 


140  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

to  overflow  at  all  times,  count  everything  joy  at  all 
times.  We  should  never  look  for  "weakness,  but 
when  we  find  it  we  should  proceed  at  once  to  change 
it  into  strength.  Whenever  we  meet  difficulties,  or 
whenever  we  are  called  upon  to  do  what  we  dislike 
we  have  found  a  weakness.  We  may  remove  that 
weakness  by  doing  with  a  will  what  the  moment  de- 
mands, and  resolve  to  enjoy  it.  Never  permit  such 
occasions  to  pass  by  without  being  changed.  The 
opportunity  is  too  valuable.  Whatever  your  pres- 
ent sphere  of  action  may  require  of  you,  that  you 
are  able  to  do;  and  the  present  demand  upon  your 
life  and  your  talents  must  be  supplied  by  you  if  you 
would  bring  out  the  best  that  is  in  you,  and  make 
the  great  eternal  now  full  and  complete. 

Tasks  that  seem  difficult  and  demands  that  seem 
unreasonable  are  after  all  neither  difficult  nor  un- 
reasonable. They  are  simply  golden  opportunities 
for  you  to  become  what  you  never  were  before. 
They  are  but  paths  to  greater  achievements,  sweeter 
joys  and  a  larger  life.  Therefore,  when  you  meet 
such  occasions,  count  it  all  joy.  When  you  fail  to 
gain  or  realize  in  the  present  what  you  expected, 
do  not  feel  disappointed.  Make  up  your  mind  to 
be  just  as  happy  in  those  conditions  that  are,  as 
you  expect  to  be  in  those  conditions  that  you  are 
looking  for.  The  feeling  of  disappointment  is  not 
produced  by  events.  It  is  produced  by  your  own 
attitude  toward  events.  You  can  meet  all  events  in 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  141 

such  a  frame  of  mind  that  you  never  feel  disap- 
pointed in  the  least,  and  that  frame  of  mind  is  the 
result  of  counting  everything  joy.  When  you  know 
that  eternity  is  long  and  that  countless  joys  are  in 
store  for  you,  you  will  not  feel  sad  now  because  one 
insignificant  event  has  been  postponed.  And  when 
you  have  full  control  of  your  mind  you  will  have 
the  power  to  produce  just  as  much  happiness  in  the 
absence  of  that  event  as  in  its  presence,  because 
events  themselves  cannot  produce  happiness. 

The  same  is  true  of  things.  We  do  not  gain  joy 
from  things,  but  from  the  way  we  think  about  things, 
and  we  can  think  as  we  choose  at  any  time  no  mat- 
ter what  the  circumstance  may  be.  When  the  pres- 
ent demands  happiness  from  something  different 
than  what  you  were  looking  for  in  the  present,  grasp 
the  opportunity  to  prove  that  you  are  equal  to  this 
occasion.  You  thus  develop  latent  ability.  When 
you  count  everything  joy  you  know  that  you  can 
always  produce  joy.  You  know  that  whatever  hap- 
pens is  best,  because  you  have  the  power  to  cause 
it  to  become  the  best.  The  best  always  happens  to 
those  who  seek  only  the  best;  therefore,  whatever 
comes  should  be  received  as  the  best,  and  we  must 
give  it  the  opportunity  to  prove  that  it  is  better  than 
anything  that  could  have  happened.  You  are  not 
dependent  upon  events  for  happiness.  Happiness 
does  not  come  from  what  we  do  or  where  we  go. 
Happiness  comes  from  what  we  are  now  or  what  we 


142  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

create  out  of  what  is  present  now.  Whether  we  be 
alone  in  a  garret  or  in  a  gorgeous  ball  room  the 
amount  of  happiness  we  are  to  receive  in  either 
place  will  depend  entirely  upon  our  own  frame  of 
mind.  The  frame  of  mind  that  you  desire  for  the 
present  moment  you  may  have ;  if  it  does  not  come 
of  itself,  you  can  create  it;  you  are  the  master. 

When  things  do  not  come  the  way  we  like,  we  can 
like  them  the  way  they  are  coming.  This  is  how  we 
agree  quickly  with  our  adversaries ;  we  thus  receive 
the  enemy  instead  of  fighting  the  enemy;  and  that 
which  we  receive  in  the  true  attitude  of  mind  be- 
comes our  own.  Count  everything  joy  and  every 
adversity  will  give  up  its  power  to  you.  That  which 
is  evil  becomes  good  when  we  meet  it  in  such  a  way 
that  we  draw  out  of  it  the  best  that  it  may  contain, 
and  we  always  attract  the  best  from  everything 
when  we  meet  everything  in  the  conviction  that  all 
things  work  together  for  good.  When  nothing 
comes  to  give  us  happiness  in  the  external  we  can 
open  the  fount  of  everlasting  joy  in  the  great  within. 
The  heaven  of  the  soul  is  ever  ready  to  open  its 
pearly  gates,  but  we  must  look  towards  the  soul  if  we 
would  pass  through  those  gates.  We  shall  fail  to 
see  the  fountain  of  joy  within,  however,  so  long  as 
our  whole  attention  is  fixed  upon  those  worldly 
pleasures  that  failed  to  come  into  our  world;  but 
if  we  count  everything  joy  we  no  longer  feel  disap- 
pointed about  what  did  not  happen;  on  the  other 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  143 

hand  we  enter  into  that  joyous  state  of  mind  that 
will  place  us  in  direct  contact  with  the  source  of  lim- 
itless joy  within  the  mind.  When  people  speak  un- 
kindly of  you,  you  will  become  offended  if  you 
thought  they  spoke  unkindly,  but  if  your  eyes  are  too 
pure  to  behold  iniquity  you  will  go  on  your  way  as  if 
nothing  had  been  said;  you  count  everything  joy 
and  thus  you  will  receive  joy  from  your  own  lofty 
position  in  the  matter. 

When  you  are  asked  to  do  certain  things  do  not 
proceed  with  a  feeling  that  you  are  compelled  to. 
Go  and  do  it  because  you  want  to ;  say  that  you  want 
to,  and  count  it  all  joy.  We  should  never  say  "I 
have  a  duty  to  perform,*'  but  rather,  "Here  is  an 
opportunity  which  I  have  the  privilege  to  embrace. ' ' 
Train  yourself  to  want  to  do  whatever  your  present 
sphere  of  life  may  demand.  He  who  loves  and  thor- 
oughly enjoys  what  he  is  doing  to-day  will  be  asked 
to  do  greater  things  tomorrow.  The  large  soul 
never  asks  if  things  are  unpleasant  or  difficult ;  such 
thoughts  never  enter  his  mind.  Whatever  he  finds 
to  do  he  proceeds  to  do,  with  his  mind  full  of  will 
and  his  heart  full  of  joy.  If  you  dislike  anybody, 
you  have  found  a  weakness  in  yourself.  You  have 
found  a  difficulty  that  must  be  overcome  at  once.  Do 
not  permit  such  obstacles  to  remain  in  your  way. 
The  soul  that  knows  no  weakness  loves  everything 
that  God  has  created.  The  strong  soul  never  con- 
siders those  imperfections  in  life  that  man  has  ere- 


144  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

ated.  Intelligence  was  not  intended  to  be  used  in 
the  study  of  nothingness,  illusions  or  mistakes. 
When  we  hate  anything  we  recognize  the  existence 
and  the  power  of  those  things  that  have  neither  real 
existence  nor  real  power ;  we  therefore  enter  into  a 
confused  state  of  mind.  What  God  has  created  we 
cannot  help  but  love,  but  if  we  see  something  else 
and  dislike  that  something  else  we  are  seeing  some- 
thing that  God  has  not  created.  In  other  words,  we 
are  giving  attention  to  illusions  and  mistakes,  and 
the  mind  is  not  intended  for  that  purpose.  Eemove 
the  illusion  by  transforming  that  hate  into  love;  this 
will  change  the  point  of  view.  You  will  thus  see 
things  from  the  upper  side,  the  divine  side,  and 
when  we  look  at  things  from  the  divine  side  we  find 
that  everything  is  altogether  lovely. 

Therefore,  when  you  dislike  anybody  overcome 
that  weakness  by  giving  that  person  all  the  love  of 
your  heart.  Love  that  person  and  mean  it,  no  mat- 
ter what  he  has  said  or  done.  There  is  nothing  in 
the  world  that  lifts  the  soul  so  high  above  darkness 
and  illusion  as  strong,  pure,  spiritual  love ;  and  it  is 
not  difficult  to  love  a  person  when  you  know  that  he 
is  God's  creation,  while  his  mistakes  are  simply 
man's  creation.  Mistakes  must  be  forgiven.  Our 
desire  is  to  do  the  will  of  God,  and  to  do  the  will  of 
God  is  to  love  every  creature  in  existence,  and  to 
love  everything  as  God  loves  everything. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  TRUE  USE  OF  KINDNESS  AND  SYMPATHY. 

The  ordinary  use  of  sympathy  is  responsible  for 
a  very  large  portion  of  the  ills  and  the  troubles  we 
find  in  the  world;  the  reason  being  that  nearly  all 
suffering  is  mental  before  it  is  physical,  and  that 
mental  suffering  is  almost  invariably  produced  when 
we  enter  into  sympathetic  touch  with  the  ills  that 
we  meet  among  relations,  friends  or  associates.  The 
average  person  would  suffer  but  little  if  he  suffered 
only  from  the  troubles  that  arise  in  his  own  system. 
It  is  the  pain  that  is  felt  through  sympathy  for 
others  that  gives  him  most  of  the  burdens  he  finds  it 
necessary  to  bear.  It  is  considered  a  sign  of  kind- 
ness, goodness  and  high  regard,  however,  to  sympa- 
thize with  others  in  this  manner,  or  rather  to  suffer 
with  others,  but  this  is  not  the  true  use  of  kindness. 

We  do  not  help  others  by  entering  into  the  same 
weakness  that  is  keeping  them  in  a  world  of  distress. 
We  do  not  help  the  weak  by  becoming  weak.  We  do 
not  relieve  sickness  by  becoming  sick.  We  do  not 
right  the  wrong  by  entering  into  the  wrong,  or  doing 
wrong.  We  do  not  free  man  from  failures  by  per- 
mitting ourselves  to  become  failures.  We  do  not 

146 


146  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

emancipate  those  who  are  in  bondage  to  sin  by  go- 
ing and  committing  the  same  sin.  This  is  very 
simple;  but  ordinary  sympathy  is  based  upon  the 
idea  that  we  sympathize  with  a  person  only  when  we 
suffer  with  that  person.  We  expect  to  relieve  pain 
by  proceeding  to  produce  the  same  pain  in  our  own 
systems;  but  we  cannot  remove  darkness  by  enter- 
ing into  the  dark.  We  can  remove  wrong  only  by 
removing  the  cause  of  that  wrong,  and  to  remove  the 
cause  of  wrong  we  must  produce  the  cause  of  right. 
Darkness  disappears  when  we  produce  light;  like- 
wise, sickness  and  trouble  will  vanish  when  we  pro- 
duce health  and  harmony,  but  we  cannot  produce 
health  and  harmony  by  entering  into  disease  and 
trouble.  This,  however,  is  what  ordinary  sympathy 
does;  it  has,  therefore,  failed  to  relieve  the  world. 
The  ordinary  use  of  sympathy  multiplies  suffering 
by  making  suffering  contagious.  It  causes  the  suf- 
fering of  the  one  to  give  pain  to  the  many,  and  then 
in  turn  causes  the  pain  of  the  many  to  give  addi- 
tional pain  to  each  individual  person  whose  sym- 
pathy is  aroused  in  the  same  connection.  We  must 
remove  everything  that  tends  to  make  ills  con- 
tagious, whether  it  is  physical  or  mental,  and  it  is 
very  evident  that  ordinary  sympathy  does  spread 
pains  and  ills  to  a  very  great  degree.  Therefore, 
one  of  the  first  essentials  in  producing  emancipation 
or  in  making  real  the  ideal  is  to  find  the  true  use  of 
sympathy. 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  KEAL  147 

Sympathy  itself  must  not  be  removed,  because  it 
is  one  of  the  highest  virtues  of  the  soul.  The  average 
person,  however,  misapplies  this  virtue  continu- 
ously, and  in  consequence  brings  pains  and  ills  both 
to  himself  and  others,  that  could  easily  have  been 
prevented.  There  is  a  better  use  for  sympathy,  and 
through  this  better  use  we  cause  all  the  good  things 
in  life  to  become  contagious.  Instead  of  entering 
into  sympathetic  touch  with  the  weakness  that  may 
temporarily  exist  in  the  personality  of  man  we  enter 
into  sympathetic  touch  with  the  strength  that  per- 
manently exists  in  the  soul  of  man.  Instead  of  mor- 
bidly dwelling  upon  the  ills  and  the  wrongs  which  we 
find  we  proceed  to  gain  the  highest  possible  realiza- 
tion of  the  good,  the  right,  the  superior  and  the 
beautiful  that  we  know  has  existence  back  of  and 
above  the  superficial  life  of  human  nature.  Accord- 
ing to  a  metaphysical  law,  when  we  enter  into  men- 
tal contact  with  the  good  in  man  we  awaken  the 
power  of  that  which  is  good  in  man,  and  the  most 
perfect  mental  contact  is  produced  by  sympathy. 

To  sympathize  with  the  soul  is  to  increase  the 
active  power  of  the  soul,  because  we  always  arouse 
into  greater  action  that  with  which  we  sympathize, 
and  when  the  active  power  of  the  soul  is  increased 
the  weakness  of  the  personality  will  become 
strength.  To  sympathize  with  the  power  of  health 
and  harmony  in  man  will  increase  the  power  of 
health  and  harmony  throughout  his  entire  system 


148  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

and  the  elimination  of  sickness  and  trouble  must  in- 
evitably follow.  To  sympathize  with  the  pain  a  per- 
son may  feel  is  to  do  nothing  to  relieve  that  person. 
You  take  the  pain  to  yourself,  but  you  do  not  take 
the  pain  away  from  the  person  with  whom  you  sym- 
pathize. You  thus  double  the  suffering  instead  of 
removing  it  entirely,  as  you  should.  On  the  other 
hand,  when  we  refuse  to  recognize  the  suffering  it- 
self and  proceed  to  awaken  in  that  person  that  some- 
thing that  can  remove  the  suffering  we  protect  our- 
selves from  pain,  while  we  actually  do  something  to 
relieve  that  person  from  pain.  We  do  not  suffer 
with  the  person  that  suffers,  but  we  do  something 
to  remove  suffering  absolutely  from  everybody  con- 
cerned; instead  of  entering  into  the  pain  we  take 
that  person  out  of  pain.  That  is  sympathy  that  is 
sympathy.  That  is  kindness  that  really  results  in 
a  kind  act.  It  does  not  weep,  but  does  better.  It  re- 
moves both  the  cause  and  the  effect  of  the  weeping. 
It  awakens  that  superior  power  in  man  that  posi- 
tively does  produce  emancipation.  It  does  not  cause 
suffering  to  be  transmitted  to  a  score  of  other  per- 
sons who  have  done  nothing  to  merit  that  suffering, 
but  it  stops  the  pain  where  it  is  and  puts  it  out  of  ex- 
istence absolutely 

Every  form  of  suffering  comes  from  the  violation 
of  some  law  in  life.  It  is  therefore  wrong,  but  it  can- 
not be  righted  by  making  a  special  effort  to  spread 
the  results  of  that  wrong  among  as  many  others  as 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  149 

possible.  This,  however,  ordinary  sympathy  does; 
it  makes  a  special  effort  to  make  everybody  feel  bad 
because  some  one  is  not  feeling  as  he  should;  but 
the  pains  of  the  many  cannot  give  ease  and  comfort 
to  the  one,  nor  can  many  minds  in  bondage  set  one 
mind  free.  When  any  one  is  feeling  bad  it  will  not 
help  him  to  have  a  group  of  morbid  minds  suffer 
with  him.  When  any  one  is  sorry  it  will  not  remove 
the  cause  of  his  grief  to  have  others  decide  to  be 
sorry  also.  Do  something  so  that  person  will  not 
feel  bad  any  more.  Take  him  out  of  his  trouble. 
That  is  real  sympathy;  and  while  you  are  helping 
him  out  make  him  feel  that  your  heart  is  as  tender 
as  tenderness  itself.  Do  something  so  that  the  grief 
may  be  removed  through  the  realization  of  that 
greater  truth  that  knows  that  all  is  well.  That  is 
kindness  worthy  of  the  name. 

Those,  however,  who  are  in  the  habit  of  sympa- 
thizing in  the  ordinary  way  may  think  the  new  way 
cold,  and  devoid  of  feeling  or  love,  but  the  fact  is 
that  it  is  the  ordinary  form  of  sympathy  that  is  de- 
void of  love.  When  you  love  a  person  who  is  in  pain 
you  will  not  stand  around  and  weep  pretending  that 
you  are  also  feeling  bad.  You  will  put  on  the  coun- 
tenance of  light  and  cheerfulness  and  actually  do 
something  tangible  to  remove  his  pain.  That's  love ; 
and  if  you  have  real  sympathy,  you  will  minister  to 
him  with  so  much  depth  of  feeling  and  tender  kind- 
ness that  you  will  touch  the  very  innermost  life  of 


150  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

his  soul.  All  love,  all  tenderness,  all  kindness  and 
all  real  feeling  come  from  the  soul.  Therefore,  he 
whose  sympathy  is  of  the  soul  will  receive  his  love 
and  his  kindness  directly  from  the  true  source;  in 
consequence,  he  will  have  more  love  and  more  kind- 
ness by  far  than  the  one  whose  sympathy  is  a  form 
of  morbid  feeling. 

The  real  purpose  of  true  sympathy  is  two-fold; 
first,  to  arouse  in  a  greater  measure  that  finer  some- 
thing in  life  that  is  not  only  tender  and  sweet  and 
beautiful,  but  is  also  immensely  strong— strong  with 
the  strength  of  the  Infinite;  and  second,  to  awaken 
everything  in  man  that  has  quality,  superiority  and 
worth ;  that  is,  to  make  man  feel  the  supreme  power 
of  his  own  inherent  divinity.  There  is  something  in 
man  that  is  greater  than  all  weakness,  all  ills,  all 
wrongs,  and  when  this  something  is  awakened,  de- 
veloped and  expressed,  all  weakness,  all  ills  and  all 
wrongs  must  disappear.  To  sympathize  with  this 
greater  something  in  everybody  with  whom  one  may 
come  in  contact  will  arouse  this  greater  something, 
not  only  in  others,  but  also  in  him  who  lives  in  this 
form  of  sympathy.  In  other  words,  to  sympathize 
with  the  superior  in  man  is  to  banish  the  wrong  and 
the  inferior  by  causing  the  expression  of  that  divine 
something  within  that  has  the  power  to  make  all 
things  well.  Such  a  sympathy  will  tend  to  build  a 
stronger  life,  a  better  life,  a  superior  life,  a  more 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  151 

beautiful  life ;  and  to  give  such  a  sympathy  to  every- 
body is  kindness  indeed. 

There  may  seem  to  be  kindness  in  weeping  with 
those  who  weep,  but  it  is  a  far  greater  kindness  to 
give  those  people  the  power  to  banish  their  sorrows 
completely,  and  he  who  does  this  is  not  cold;  he  is 
the  very  essence  of  the  highest  and  most  beautiful 
love.  There  is  no  joy  in  having  sorrow.  There  is 
no  pleasure  in  having  pain.  Therefore,  what 
greater  good  can  man  do  for  man  than  to  help  him 
gain  complete  emancipation  from  all  those  things, 
and  this  is  the  purpose  of  this  higher  use  of  sym- 
pathy. True  sympathy  is  neither  cold  nor  purely 
intellectual.  It  is  real  soul-feeling,  while  ordinary 
sympathy  is  simply  a  morbid  mental  feeling.  True 
sympathy  is  the  very  fire  of  real  spiritual  love,  be- 
cause it  springs  from  the  very  soul  of  love  and  is  in 
constant  touch  with  the  unbounded  power  of  that 
love.  That  such  a  sympathy  should  have  extraor- 
dinary emancipating  power  is  therefore  most  evi- 
dent. The  ordinary  use  of  sympathy  may  appear  to 
be  kind.  It  may  mean  well,  but  it  is  usually  mis- 
directed kindness,  and  is  nearly  always  weak.  The 
higher  use  of  sympathy,  that  is,  the  expression  of 
divine  sympathy,  is  not  only  kindness  itself,  but  it 
has  the  spiritual  understanding  and  the  spiritual 
power  to  do  what  kindness  wants  to  do.  Ordinary  kind- 
ness is  usually  crippled.  It  lacks  both  the  power  to  do 
and  the  understanding  to  know  what  to  do.  The  true 


152  THE  IDEAL  MADE  BEAL 

sympathy,  however,  not  only  has  the  power  to  feel 
kindly,  but  has  the  power  to  act  kindly.  It  not  only 
gives  love  and  makes  everybody  feel  that  they  are 
in  the  presence  of  real  love,  but  it  also  gives  that 
something  that  can  cause  the  purpose  of  love  to 
come  true.  Eeal  love  invariably  aims  to  produce 
comfort,  peace  and  emancipation.  That  is  its  pur- 
pose, and  real  sympathy  can  fulfill  that  purpose. 
Therefore,  this  higher  sympathy  is  the  sympathy 
that  is  sympathy. 

The  same  principle  should  be  employed  in  the  use 
of  every  form  of  emotion,  because  every  emotion  is 
a  movement  of  the  mind  conveying  mental  elements 
and  powers  with  certain  definite  objects  in  view. 
Therefore,  the  way  the  emotion  acts  will  determine 
to  a  very  great  extent  whether  these  mental  powers 
will  build  for  better  things,  or  produce  undesirable 
conditions.  Those  movements  of  the  mind  or  emo- 
tions that  express  themselves  in  love,  heart-felt  joy 
and  spiritual  feeling  have  a  beneficial  effect;  while 
that  mental  feeling  that  is  usually  termed  emotion- 
alism is  never  wholesome.  True  spiritual  feeling  is 
calm,  but  extremely  beautiful  and  awakens  orderly 
and  harmoniously  all  the  finer  elements  of  human 
life.  It  is  true  spiritual  feeling,  or  what  may  be 
termed  emotions  sublime,  that  gives  action  and  ex- 
pression to  personal  quality,  mental  worth  and  in- 
dividual superiority.  In  other  words,  it  is  these 
actions  of  mind  and  soul  that  elevate  thought,  ac- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  153 

tion,  feeling,  consciousness  and  desire  above  the 
planes  of  the  ordinary.  Such  emotions  should  there- 
fore be  cultivated  to  the  very  highest  and  finest  de- 
gree. 

What  is  spoken  of  as  heartfelt  joy  is  that  whole- 
some joy  that  comes  directly  from  the  heart  and 
that  has  depth,  reality  and  joyous  feeling;  but  that 
joy  that  runs  into  uncontrolled  ecstasy  is  never 
wholesome.  Every  feeling  of  joy  that  causes  the 
mind  to  be  carried  away  into  excited  or  overwrought 
ecstasy  is  not  joy,  but  mental  intoxication.  Such  joy 
does  not  produce  genuine  happiness,  and  the  reac- 
tion always  disturbs  the  equilibrium  of  the  mind. 
Depth  of  thought,  clear  thinking,  intellectual  bril- 
liancy, good  judgment,  mental  poise,  all  of  these  will 
diminish  in  the  mind  that  indulges  in  uncontrolled 
ecstasy,  emotionalism  or  pleasure  that  produces  ex- 
citability and  overwrought  emotional  feeling.  The 
feeling  of  love,  when  it  is  love,  is  always  wholesome 
and  elevating,  but  passionate  desire  is  weakening 
unless  it  is  permeated  through  and  through  with 
genuine  love.  A  deep,  strong  feeling  of  love  will 
turn  all  desires,  whether  mental  or  physical,  into 
constructive  channels,  but  we  must  be  certain  that 
it  is  real  love  and  not  an  artificial  feeling  temporar- 
ily produced  by  the  misuse  of  the  imagination. 
Here  every  mental  movement  that  is  intense,  forced, 
overwrought  or  worked  up  to  an  abnormal  pitch  of 
excited  enthusiasm  leads  to  emotionalism,  and  emo- 


154  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

tionalism  burns  up  energy.  Nearly  all  kinds  of 
nervous  diseases  can  be  traced  directly  or  indirectly 
to  emotionalism  in  one  or  more  of  its  many  forms; 
and  as  physical  and  mental  weakness  always  follows 
the  burning  up  of  energy,  a  number  of  physical  and 
mental  ills  can  be  traced  to  this  source. 

When  emotionalism,  fear,  anger  and  worry  are 
eliminated,  all  kinds  of  insanity  and  all  kinds  of 
nervous  diseases  will  be  things  of  the  past ;  while  the 
power,  the  capacity  and  the  brilliancy  of  the  average 
mind  will  increase  to  an  extraordinary  degree. 
Strong  emotional  feelings  and  intense  enthusiasm 
will  sometimes  arouse  a  great  deal  of  dormant,  men- 
tal power.  In  consequence,  people  sometimes  do  ex- 
ceptional things  while  under  the  emotional  spell,  but 
the  entire  process,  as  well  as  the  final  results,  are 
very  similar  to  that  produced  by  alcoholic  stimu- 
lants and  other  drugs.  The  system  seems  to  be 
charged  with  a  great  deal  of  extra  power  for  a  while, 
but  when  the  reaction  comes  the  entire  system  be- 
comes much  weaker  than  it  ever  was  before.  The 
mind  that  permits  itself  to  be  aroused  by  intense, 
emotional  feeling  will  gradually  lose  its  power  of 
clear  thought.  The  understanding  will  become  so 
weakened  that  the  principles  of  real  truth  cannot  be 
fully  comprehended,  while  the  judgment  will  follow 
more  and  more  the  illusions  of  an  overwrought 
imagination.  The  fact  that  religious  feeling  among 
millions  is  so  closely  associated  with  this  over- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  155 

wrought  state  of  emotionalism  proves  the  import- 
ance of  a  better  understanding  of  the  use  of  these 
finer  mental  elements.  Emotionalism  compels  the 
mind  to  follow  mere  feeling,  and  mere  feeling,  when 
not  properly  blended  with  clear  understanding,  will 
be  misdirected  at  every  turn.  Emotionalism  also 
stupefies  the  finer  perceptions  by  intoxicating  the 
mind,  and  by  burning  up  the  finer  mental  energies ; 
and  since  these  finer  perceptions  are  required  to  dis- 
cern real  truth  we  understand  readily  why  highly 
emotional  people  cannot  comprehend  the  principles 
of  pure,  spiritual  metaphysics.  Having  been  trained 
towards  materialistic  literalism  instead  of  away 
from  it,  they  are  not  to  blame,  however,  for  their 
present  state  and  deserve  no  criticism.  Neverthe- 
less, those  who  wish  to  find  real  religion  and  real 
spirituality  must  learn  to  understand  the  psychol- 
ogy of  emotion  and  must  learn  the  true  use  of  all  the 
finer  feelings  of  the  mind. 

There  is  something  in  man  that  is  called  religious 
feeling.  It  is  present  to  a  greater  or  lesser  degree 
in  everybody  and  cannot  be  removed,  because  it  is  a 
part  of  life  itself.  When  in  action,  and  it  is  never 
inactive  very  long,  it  expresses  itself  in  some  power 
of  emotion.  When  this  emotion  or  delicate  mental 
movement  is  permitted  to  act  without  any  definite 
purpose  it  becomes  emotionalism ;  that  is,  mental  en- 
ergy running  rampant,  and  becoming  more  and  more 
intense  until  it  destroys  itself,  as  well  as  all  the  en- 


156  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

ergy  it  originally  contained.  On  the  other  hand, 
when  this  feeling  is  directed  towards  the  highest  and 
the  most  perfect  conception  of  truth,  life  and  being 
that  the  mind  can  possibly  picture,  all  that  is  lofty, 
ideal  and  beautiful  will  be  developed  in  the  mind 
and  soul  of  that  individual.  This  is  natural,  because 
there  is  nothing  that  has  greater  developing  power 
than  deep,  spiritual  feeling;  a  fact  that  those  who 
desire  to  develop  remarkable  ability,  extraordinary 
talent  and  rare  genius  will  do  well  to  remember. 

There  is  no  mental  faculty  that  is  more  readily  af- 
fected by  the  emotions  than  the  imagination,  and 
since  the  imagination  is  such  a  very  important  fac- 
ulty, no  mental  or  physical  action  that  in  any  way 
interferes  with  the  constructive  work  of  the  imag- 
ination should  be  permitted.  Emotionalism,  how- 
ever, invariably  excites  the  imagination,  and  an  ex- 
cited imagination  will  imagine  all  sorts  of  things  that 
are  not  true.  The  mind  will  thus  be  filled  with  illu- 
sions, and  in  consequence,  false  beliefs,  wrong 
thoughts,  perverted  states  and  misdirected  mental 
energy  will  follow.  The  result  will  be  sickness, 
trouble,  mistakes  and  failures  in  one  or  more  of 
their  many  forms.  It  is  now  a  well  demonstrated 
truth  that  every  thought  has  a  definite  power  of  its 
own,  and  that  that  power  will  produce  its  natural 
effect  in  some  part  of  the  human  system.  If  the 
thought  is  not  good  the  effect  will  naturally  be  un- 
desirable, and  conditions  will  be  produced  in  mind 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  157 

or  body  that  we  do  not  want.  But  whatever  we 
imagine,  that  we  think;  therefore,  when  we  excite 
the  imagination  we  imagine  all  manner  of  things 
that  are  untrue,  unreal  or  abnormal;  we  produce 
false  or  perverted  thought  action  in  the  mind;  we 
think  the  wrong,  and  wrong  thoughts  invariably  pro- 
duce wrong  conditions  in  mind  or  body,  or  both. 

What  we  imagine  we  reproduce  in  ourselves  to 
some  degree,  frequently  to  a  marked  degree ;  but  an 
excited  imagination  simply  cannot  imagine  what  is 
good  and  wholesome.  In  every  form  of  develop- 
ment, whether  in  the  body,  the  mind  or  the  soul,  the 
imagining  faculty  is  employed  extensively.  All 
growth  is  promoted  by  combining  and  recombining 
the  elements  of  life  in  higher  and  higher  forms,  and 
since  it  is  one  of  the  functions  of  the  imagination  to 
produce  these  higher,  more  complex  and  more  per- 
fect combinations,  development  cannot  take  place 
unless  the  imagination  works  orderly,  constructively 
and  progressively.  An  excited  imagination  will  pro- 
duce false  mental  combinations  or  may  waste  energy 
by  attempting  to  combine  mental  elements  that  will 
not  combine.  An  orderly  imagination  may  be  lik- 
ened to  a  skilled  workman  who  builds  a  beautiful 
mansion  out  of  his  bricks,  while  an  excited  imagina- 
tion might  be  likened  to  some  one  who  can  do  noth- 
ing more  than  pile  those  bricks  into  a  heap.  The 
fact  that  emotionalism  always  excites  the  imagina- 
tion proves  therefore  how  impossible  it  is  for  minds 


158 


with  uncontrolled  emotions  to  develop  the  greatness 
that  is  latent  within  them. 

Another  fact  of  great  importance  in  this  connec- 
tion is  that  emotionalism  will  intensify  every  mental 
tendency  that  may  be  active  in  mind  at  the  time.  If 
there  is  a  tendency  towards  abnormal  desires,  emo- 
tionalism will  intensify  those  desires  so  that  it  will 
be  very  difficult  to  resist  temptation  should  it  ap- 
pear. On  the  other  hand,  pure  spiritual  feeling 
would  transmute  those  desires,  and  produce  instead, 
an  ascending  tendency,  thus  leading  all  the  forces  of 
mind  towards  higher  ground.  To  overcome  emo- 
tionalism, intense  mental  feeling,  anger,  excitability 
and  all  overwrought  or  abnormal  mental  states,  turn 
attention  upon  the  spiritual  heights  of  the  soul  when- 
ever such  mental  feelings  are  felt.  By  training  all 
mental  feelings  and  emotions  to  move  toward  the 
deeper  and  the  higher  spiritual  state  of  being  these 
same  feelings  will  become  stronger,  deeper,  finer  and 
more  beautiful  than  they  ever  were  before.  We  thu£ 
establish  the  foundation  upon  which  we  can  build  an 
ideal  character,  and  through  such  a  character  all  the 
qualities  of  mind  and  soul  can  be  used  beneficially  in 
the  midst  of  every  experience,  whatever  the  nature 
of  that  experience  may  be. 

To  cause  all  the  emotions  to  follow  ascending  ten- 
dencies will  increase  remarkably  the  power,  the  fine- 
ness, the  life  and  the  rapture  of  every  phase  of  feel- 
ing, not  only  in  the  soul,  but  in  the  mind  and  the  body 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  159 

as  well.  Every  trace  of  coldness,  indifference  or 
lack  of  feeling  will  entirely  disappear,  and  we  shall 
develop  instead  that  higher  form  of  kindness,  sym- 
pathy and  spiritual  emotion  that  is  created  in  the 
likeness  of  divine  emotion.  Whoever  employs  this 
method  will  not  permit  his  feelings  to  ran  wild  at 
any  time,  but  will  cause  the  life  and  the  power  of 
every  feeling  to  accumulate  in  his  system.  He  will 
hold  them  all  in  poise  and  use  their  energies  intelli- 
gently in  the  building  up  of  his  whole  life  and  in 
adding  to  the  joy,  the  rapture  and  the  delight  of  the 
living  of  a  full,  strong,  ever-ascending  state  of  exist- 
ence. That  person  who  controls  his  feelings  and 
turns  all  the  energies  of  those  feelings  upon  the 
spiritual  heights  of  the  soul  will  actually  become  a 
living  flame  of  love,  sympathy  and  sublime  emotion. 
Such  a  person  will  enjoy  everything  intensely,  but 
his  joy  will  be  in  such  a  high  state  of  harmony  that 
he  will  waste  nothing  in  his  life ;  instead,  all  the  ele- 
ments and  powers  of  his  life  will  continue  to  accumu- 
late, thus  giving  added  strength,  worth  and  superi- 
ority to  everything  that  he  may  physically,  mentally 
or  spiritually  possess. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

TALK  HEALTH,   HAPPINESS   AND  PROSPERITY. 

Talk  happiness.  When  things  look  dark,  talk 
happiness.  When  things  look  bright,  talk  more  hap- 
piness. When  others  are  sad,  insist  on  being  glad. 
Talk  happiness,  and  they  will  soon  feel  better.  Talk 
happiness;  it  pays  in  every  shape  and  form  and 
manner.  Give  sunshine  to  others,  and  others  will  be 
more  than  pleased  to  give  sunshine  to  you.  Talk 
happiness,  and  your  health  will  be  better,  your  mind 
will  be  brighter  and  your  personality  far  more  at- 
tractive ;  but  the  qualities  that  happiness  will  give  to 
you  will  also  be  given  to  those  who  have  the  pleasure 
to  listen  to  you  when  you  talk  happiness. 

Talk  happiness,  and  you  will  always  remain  in  a 
happy  frame  of  mind.  You  will  encourage  thou- 
sands of  others  to  do  the  same.  You  will  become  a 
fountain  of  joy  in  the  midst  of  the  garden  of  human 
life,  and  who  can  tell  how  many  flowers  of  kindness 
and  joy  unfolded  their  rare  and  tender  beauty  be- 
cause you  were  there.  When  others  have  lost  cour- 
age, talk  happiness.  The  future  is  bright  for  every- 
body. Talk  happiness,  and  you  turn  on  the  light  in 
their  pathway,  and  they  will  see  the  better  things 

160 


161 


that  are  before  them.  When  the  mind  is  depressed 
it  is  blinded ;  it  sees  only  the  darkness ;  but  when  the 
light  of  joy  is  admitted  everything  is  changed. 
Therefore,  talk  happiness  to  all  persons  and  on  all 
occasions. 

We  cannot  have  too  much  light  in  the  world,  and 
the  more  we  talk  happiness  the  more  light  we  pro- 
duce wherever  we  may  be.  What  greater  pleasure 
could  anyone  desire  than  to  realize  that  he  has  eased 
the  way  of  life  for  thousands  and  sent  the  sunbeams 
and  joy  into  the  mental  world  of  tens  of  thousands? 
You  can  do  this  by  talking  happiness.  Thus  by  con- 
stantly talking  happiness  you  produce  perpetual  in- 
crease in  your  own  happiness.  What  we  give  in 
abundance  always  returns  in  abundance;  that  is, 
when  we  give  in  the  right  spirit;  and  he  who  talks 
happiness  is  always  in  the  right  spirit.  When  in  the 
midst  of  discord,  trouble  or  confusion,  talk  happi- 
ness. Harmony  will  soon  be  restored.  The  major- 
ity can  easily  change  their  minds  for  the  better 
when  some  one  takes  the  lead.  You  can  take  the 
lead  by  talking  happiness. 

Talk  prosperity.  When  times  are  not  good,  man 
himself  must  make  them  better,  and  he  can  make 
them  better  by  doing  his  best  and  having  faith  in 
that  power  that  produces  prosperity.  When  men 
have  faith  in  prosperity  they  will  think  prosperity, 
live  prosperity  and  thus  do  that  which  produces 
prosperity;  and  you  can  give  men  faith  in  pros- 


162  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

perity  by  constantly  talking  prosperity.  They  may 
not  listen  at  first,  but  perseverance  always  wins. 
Prosperity  is  extremely  attractive,  and  the  more  you 
impress  it  upon  the  minds  of  others  the  more  attrac- 
tive it  becomes  until  no  one  can  resist  it ;  and  when 
we  admit  the  idea  of  prosperity  into  our  own  minds 
we  will  from  that  moment  begin  to  produce  prosper- 
ty.  Think  prosperity,  talk  prosperity,  and  live  pros- 
perity ;  and  you  will  rise  in  the  scale  no  matter  what 
the  circumstances  may  be.  Hold  to  the  power  that 
produces  abundance  by  having  unbounded  faith  in 
that  power  and  you  will  overcome  all  adversity  and 
reach  the  highest  goal  you  have  in  view.  The  fear 
of  failure  produces  more  failure  than  all  other 
causes  combined.  You  can  remove  that  fear  by  talk- 
ing prosperity. 

Talk  health.  It  is  the  best  medicine.  When  people 
stop  talking  sickness  they  will  stop  getting  sick. 
Talk  health  and  stay  well.  Talk  health  to  the  person 
who  is  sick  and  you  will  cause  him  to  think  health. 
He  who  thinks  health  will  live  health,  and  he  who 
lives  health  will  produce  health.  When  your  asso- 
ciates take  delight  in  relating  minutely  everything 
they  know  about  the  ills  of  the  community,  purify 
the  muddy  waters  of  their  conversation  by  talking 
health.  Insist  on  talking  health.  Prove  that  there 
is  more  health  than  sickness,  and  that  therefore 
health  is  the  more  important  subject.  The  majority 
rules.  Health  is  in  the  majority.  Increase  that  ma- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  163 

jority  by  talking  more  health.  Take  the  lead  in  this 
manner  of  conversation,  and  be  positively  deter- 
mined to  continue  in  the  lead.  Others  will  soon  fol- 
low, and  when  they  do,  sickness  will  dimmish  more 
and  more  until  it  becomes  practically  unknown 
among  those  who  have  the  privilege  to  live  in  your 
circle. 

When  the  sins  of  the  world  are  in  evidence,  talk 
virtue.  When  the  power  of  virtue  is  in  evidence,  talk 
more  virtue.  Eternally  emphasize  the  good;  give  it 
more  and  more  power,  and  it  will  soon  become  suffi- 
ciently strong  to  produce  that  ideal  of  power  that 
you  wish  to  make  real.  Talk  virtue,  and  people  will 
think  of  virtue ;  they  will  dwell  more  and  more  upon 
the  beauty  of  virtue.  Ere  long  they  will  desire  vir- 
tue, and  that  desire  will  become  stronger  and 
stronger  until  it  thrills  every  atom  in  human  life. 
To  desire  virtue  is  to  become  virtuous.  To  live  for 
the  attainment  of  purity  is  to  place  in  action  all  the 
purifying  elements  in  your  being,  and  you  will  soon 
realize  that  perfectly  clean  condition  that  every 
awakened  mind  has  learned  to  worship.  You  can 
purify  the  minds  of  thousands  by  constantly  talking 
virtue,  and  these  thousands  will  in  turn  convey  the 
power  of  virtue  to  as  many  thousand  times  thou- 
sands more. 

Talk  virtue  eternally  and  there  is  no  end  to  the 
good  that  you  may  do.  When  the  world  seems  bad, 
talk  virtue.  The  power  of  good  is  not  gone ;  it  is  just 


164  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

as  great  as  it  ever  was,  and  it  is  here  and  there  and 
everywhere.  You  can  open  the  mind  of  man  to  the 
mighty  influx  of  this  power  by  eternally  talking  vir- 
tue. You  can,  through  the  proper  use  of  your  own 
words,  change  the  tide  of  human  thought.  You  can 
cause  all  mankind  to  desire  virtue  by  forever  talk- 
ing virtue.  On  the  surface  many  things  may  seem 
to  be  what  they  ought  not  to  be,  but  the  surface  is 
not  all  there  is.  It  is  an  insignificant  part  of  the 
whole.  There  is  a  hidden  richness  in  life  that  the 
many  do  not  see,  because  their  attention  has  never 
been  turned  in  that  direction.  You  can  lead  man- 
kind into  the  gold  mines  of  the  mind  and  into  the 
diamond  fields  of  the  soul,  and  the  secret  lies  in  the 
words  you  speak.  You  can  guide  the  mind  of  man 
by  the  way  you  talk.  Talking  therefore  should  not 
be  empty,  but  should  ever  have  a  sublime  goal  in 
view.  Your  words  point  the  way  and  they  who  hear 
what  you  have  to  say  will,  to  some  degree,  be  influ- 
enced to  go  whatever  way  your  words  may  point. 
Your  power,  therefore,  in  directing  other  minds  to- 
wards greater  and  better  things  is  hidden  in  every 
word  you  speak,  and  how  important  that  that  power 
be  wisely  employed. 

We  are  responsible  for  every  word  we  express. 
It  will  affect  somebody  either  for  good  or  otherwise. 
Talk  sin,  sickness  and  trouble,  and  you  will  cause 
many  to  go  directly  into  more  sin,  sickness  and 
trouble.  Talk  health,  happiness  and  prosperity,  and 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  165 

you  will  cause  many  to  find  health,  happiness  and 
prosperity  in  greater  and  greater  abundance.  When 
the  world  complains,  do  not  forget  to  emphasize  the 
great  fact  that  universal  good  is  even  now  at  hand. 
The  complaining  mind  wears  colored  glasses.  He 
cannot  see  things  as  they  are.  You  can  help  him  to 
remove  those  glasses  by  calling  his  attention  to  the 
fact  that  things  are  not  what  they  seem  to  him. 
Everything  lies  in  the  point  of  view.  Look  at  things 
from  the  right  point  of  view  and  you  will  be  happy, 
cheerful  and  optimistic  under  all  sorts  of  circum- 
stances. But  look  at  things  from  the  wrong  point 
of  view,  and  you  will  see  nothing  clearly ;  everything 
will  appear  to  be  what  it  is  not.  You  will  thus  live 
in  confusion  and  your  mistakes  will  be  many.  Re- 
move this  confusion  by  placing  yourself  in  harmony 
with  eternal  good,  and  you  can  do  this  by  talking 
about  the  good,  thinking  about  the  good  and  empha- 
sizing most  positively  every  expression  of  good  with 
which  you  may  come  in  contact.  That  which  we 
think  of  and  talk  of  constantly  will  multiply  and 
grow  in  our  own  world. 

Talk  peace.  You  will  thus  not  only  prevent  con- 
fusion, but  you  will  remove  those  confused  condi- 
tions that  may  already  exist.  You  can  still  the 
storms  of  life  everywhere  by  talking  peace.  When 
man  thinks  the  most  of  peace  he  will  be  in  peace,  and 
he  cannot  fail  to  think  of  peace  so  long  as  he  is  faith- 
fully talking  peace.  Talk  success,  and  you  will  in- 


166  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

spire  everybody  with  the  spirit  of  success.  You  will 
help  to  turn  the  energies  of  life  upon  the  goal  of  suc- 
cess, and  thus  you  will  help  all  minds  to  move  to- 
wards success.  Never  say  that  anything  is  impos- 
sible. Talk  success,  and  you  help  to  make  every- 
thing possible.  Everybody  should  succeed.  It  is 
not  only  the  privilege  of  everybody  to  succeed,  but 
every  person,  to  be  just  to  himself,  must  succeed. 
The  fear  of  failure,  however,  is  the  greatest  obsta- 
cle. You  can  remove  that  fear  by  talking  success. 
Hold  the  idea  of  success  before  every  mind  with 
which  you  come  in  contact ;  you  will  thus  become  one 
of  the  greatest  philanthropists  in  the  world. 

New  and  greater  opportunities  may  be  found 
everywhere.  Talk  of  these  things  and  forget  the 
missteps  of  the  past.  We  can  leave  the  lesser  that  is 
behind  only  by  pressing  on  towards  the  greater  that 
is  before.  Talk  success  to  everybody,  and  every- 
body will  press  on  towards  the  greater  goal  of  suc- 
cess. Be  an  inspiration  among  all  minds;  and  you 
can  be  by  holding  up  the  light  of  success,  prosperity 
and  attainment  at  all  times.  Use  your  words  in  pro- 
moting advancement,  in  awakening  new  interest  in 
the  better  side,  the  brighter  side,  the  sunny  side,  and 
turn  the  mind  of  man  upon  those  things  that  can  be 
done.  He  can  who  thinks  he  can,  and  you  help  every 
person  to  think  that  he  can  by  talking  prosperity 
and  success.  Impress  the  greater  upon  every  mind, 
and  every  mind  will  think  the  greater ;  and  he  who 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  167 

thinks  the  greater  is  constantly  building  for  greater 
things.  Emphasize  the  sunny  side  in  all  your  speech 
and  you  provide  a  never  failing  antidote  for  com- 
plaints; and  since  the  complaining  mind  soon  be- 
comes the  retrogressing  mind,  this  antidote  has  ex- 
treme value.  It  may  change  for  the  better  the  des- 
tiny of  anyone  when  brought  squarely  before  his 
attention,  and  this  your  words  can  do. 

When  one  door  closes  another  opens;  sometimes 
several.  This  is  the  law  of  life.  It  is  the  expression 
of  the  law  of  eternal  progress.  The  whole  of  nature 
desires  to  move  forward  eternally.  The  spirit  of 
progress  animates  everything.  Whenever  a  person 
loses  an  opportunity  to  move  forward  this  great  law 
proceeds  to  give  him  another.  This  proves  that  the 
universe  is  kind,  that  everything  is  for  man  and 
nothing  against  him.  This  being  the  truth,  the  man 
who  talks  health,  happiness,  prosperity,  power  and 
progress  is  working  in  harmony  with  the  universe, 
and  is  helping  to  promote  the  great  purpose  of  the 
universe;  and  who  would  not  occupy  a  position  of 
such  value  and  importance?  Whenever  you  talk 
trouble,  failure,  sickness  or  sin  you  arraign  your 
own  mind  against  the  law  of  life  and  the  purpose  of 
the  universe.  You  will  thereby  be  against  every- 
thing, and  everything  will,  in  consequence,  be 
against  you.  You  must,  therefore,  necessarily  fail 
in  everything  you  undertake  to  do.  But  how  differ- 
ent everything  will  be  when  you  turn  and  move  in 


168  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

the  other  direction.  Go  with  the  universe,  and  all 
the  power  of  the  universe  will  go  with  you,  and  will 
help  you  to  reach  whatever  object  you  may  have  in 
view. 

Harmonize  yourself  with  the  laws  of  life  and  you 
will  steadily  rise  in  the  scale  of  life.  Nothing  can 
hold  you  down.  Everything  you  undertake  to  do 
you  will  accomplish,  because  everything  will  be  with 
you.  You  will  reach  every  ideal,  and  at  the  best 
time  and  under  the  best  circumstances  cause  that 
ideal  to  become  real.  When  you  cease  to  talk  failure 
and  begin  to  talk  success  you  invariably  meet  the 
turn  in  the  lane.  You  find  that  a  new  world  and  a 
better  future  is  in  store.  Things  will  take  a  turn 
when  you  take  a  turn,  and  you  will  take  a  turn  when 
you  begin  to  talk  about  those  things  that  you  desire 
to  realize.  Never  talk  about  anything  else.  The 
way  you  talk  you  go.  The  way  you  talk  others  will 
go.  Therefore,  talk  health,  happiness  and  prosper- 
ity, and  help  everybody,  yourself  included,  to  move 
towards  health,  happiness  and  prosperity.  The 
power  of  words  is  immense,  both  in  the  person  that 
speaks  and  in  the  person  that  is  spoken  to.  The 
simplest  way  to  use  this  power  is  to  train  yourself 
to  talk  the  things  you  want ;  talk  the  things  that  you 
expect  or  desire  to  realize ;  talk  the  things  you  wish 
to  attain  and  accomplish.  You  thus  cause  the  power 
of  words  to  work  for  you  and  with  you  in  gaining 
the  goal  you  have  in  mind.  Whatever  comes,  talk 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  169 

health,  happiness  and  prosperity.  Say  that  you  are 
well ;  say  that  you  are  happy ;  say  that  you  are  pros- 
perous. Emphasize  everything  that  is  good  in  life, 
and  the  power  of  the  Supreme  will  cause  your  words 
to  come  true. 


CHAPTEE  XH. 

WHAT  DETERMINES  THE  DESTINY  OF  MAN. 

The  destiny  of  every  individual  is  being  hourly 
created  by  himself,  and  what  he  is  to  create  at  any 
particular  time  is  determined  by  those  ideals  that 
he  entertains  at  that  time.  The  future  of  a  person 
is  not  preordained  by  some  external  power,  nor  is 
fate  controlled  by  some  strange,  mysterious  force 
that  master-minds  alone  can  comprehend  and  em- 
ploy. It  is  ideals  that  control  fate,  and  all  minds 
have  their  ideals  wherever  in  the  scale  of  life  they 
may  be.  To  have  ideals  is  not  simply  to  have 
dreams  or  visions  of  that  which  lies  beyond  the  at- 
tainments of  the  present;  nor  is  idealism  a  system 
of  ideas  that  the  practical  mind  may  not  have  the 
privilege  to  entertain.  To  have  ideals  is  to  have 
definite  objects  in  view,  be  those  objects  very  high 
or  very  low,  or  anywhere  between  those  extremes. 

The  ideals  of  any  mind  are  the  real  wants,  the 
real  desires  or  the  real  aims  of  that  mind,  and  as 
every  normal  mind  invariably  lives,  thinks  and 
works  for  that  which  is  wanted  by  his  present  state 
of  existence,  it  is  evident  that  every  mind  must  nec- 
essarily, either  consciously  or  unconsciously,  follow 

170 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  171 

his  ideals.  When  those  ideals  are  low,  ordinary  or 
inferior  the  individual  will  work  for  the  ordinary 
and  the  inferior,  and  the  products  of  his  mind  will 
correspond  in  quality  with  that  for  which  he  is 
working.  Inferior  causes  will  originate  in  his  life 
and  similar  effects  will  follow ;  but  when  those  ideals 
are  high  and  superior,  he  will  work  for  the  superior ; 
he  will  develop  superiority  in  himself,  and  he  will 
give  superiority  to  everything  that  he  may  produce. 
Every  action  that  he  originates  in  his  life  will  be- 
come a  superior  cause  and  will  be  followed  by  a  sim- 
ilar effect. 

The  destiny  of  every  individual  is  determined  by 
what  he  is  and  by  what  he  does ;  and  what  any  in- 
dividual is  to  be  or  do  is  determined  by  what  he  is 
living  for,  thinking  for  or  working  for.  Man  is  not 
being  made  by  some  outside  force.  Man  is  making 
himself  with  the  power  of  those  forces  and  elements 
that  he  employs  in  his  thought  and  his  work ;  and  in 
all  his  efforts,  physical  or  mental,  he  invariably  fol- 
lows his  ideals.  He  who  lives,  thinks  and  works  for 
the  superior  becomes  superior;  he  who  works  for 
less,  becomes  less.  It  is  therefore  evident  that  any 
individual  may  become  more,  achieve  more,  secure 
more  and  create  for  himself  a  greater  and  a  greater 
destiny  by  simply  beginning  to  live,  think  and  work 
for  a  superior  group  of  ideals.  To  have  low  ideals 
is  to  give  the  creative  forces  of  the  system  some- 
thing ordinary  to  work  for.  To  have  high  ideals  is 


172  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

to  give  those  forces  something  extraordinary  to 
work  for,  and  the  fate  of  man  is  the  result  of  what 
his  creative  forces  hourly  produce.  Every  force  in 
the  human  system  is  producing  something,  and  that 
something  will  become  a  part  of  the  individual.  It 
is  therefore  evident  that  any  individual  can  con- 
stantly improve  the  power,  the  quality  and  the  worth 
of  his  being  by  directing  the  forces  of  his  system 
to  produce  that  which  has  quality  and  worth.  These 
forces,  however,  are  not  directed  or  controlled  by 
the  will.  It  is  the  nature  of  the  creative  forces  in 
man  to  produce  what  the  mind  desires,  wants,  needs 
or  aspires  to  attain,  and  the  desires  and  the  aspira- 
tions of  any  mind  are  determined  by  the  ideals  that 
are  entertained  in  that  mind. 

The  forces  of  the  system  will  begin  to  work  for 
the  superior  when  the  mind  begins  to  attain  su- 
perior ideals,  and  since  it  is  the  product  of  these 
forces  that  determines  both  the  nature  and  the  des- 
tiny of  man,  a  superior  nature  and  a  greater  des- 
tiny may  be  secured  by  any  individual  who  will 
adopt  the  highest  and  the  most  perfect  system  of 
idealism  that  he  can  possibly  comprehend.  To  en- 
tertain superior  ideals  is  to  picture  in  mind  and  to 
hold  constantly  before  mind  the  highest  conception 
that  can  be  formed  of  everything  of  which  we  may 
be  conscious.  To  mentally  dwell  in  those  higher 
conceptions  at  all  times  is  to  cause  the  predominat- 
ing ideas  to  become  superior  ideas,  and  it  is  the  pre- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  173 

dominating  ideas  for  which  we  live,  think  and  work. 
When  the  ruling  ideas  of  any  mind  are  superior  the 
creative  force  of  that  mind  will  produce  the  superior 
in  every  element,  faculty,  talent  or  power  in  that 
mind ;  greatness  will  thus  be  developed  in  that  mind, 
and  the  great  mind  invariably  creates  a  great 
destiny. 

To  entertain  superior  ideals  is  not  to  dream  of 
the  impossible,  but  to  enter  into  mental  contact  with 
those  greater  possibilities  that  we  are  now  able  to 
discern;  and  to  have  the  power  to  discern  an  ideal 
indicates  that  we  have  the  power  to  realize  that 
ideal.  We  do  not  become  conscious  of  greater  pos- 
sibilities until  we  have  developed  sufficient  capacity 
to  work  out  those  possibilities  into  practical,  tan- 
gible results.  Therefore,  when  we  discern  the 
greater  we  are  ready  to  attain  and  achieve  the 
greater;  but  before  we  can  proceed  to  do  what  we 
are  ready  to  do  we  must  adopt  superior  ideals,  and 
superior  ideals  only.  When  our  ideals  are  superior 
we  shall  constantly  think  of  the  superior,  because 
as  our  ideals  are  so  is  our  thinking,  and  to  con- 
stantly think  of  the  superior  is  to  steadily  grow  into 
the  likeness  of  the  superior. 

When  the  ideals  are  very  high  all  the  forces  of 
the  system  will  move  towards  superior  attainments ; 
all  things  in  the  life  of  the  individual  will  work  to- 
gether with  greater  and  greater  greatness  in  view, 
and  continued  advancement  on  a  larger  and  larger 


174  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

scale  must  inevitably  follow.  To  entertain  superior 
ideals  is  not  simply  to  desire  some  larger  personal 
attainment  or  to  mentally  dwell  in  some  belief  that 
is  different  from  the  usual  beliefs  of  the  world.  To 
entertain  superior  ideals  is  to  think  the  very  best 
thoughts  and  the  very  greatest  thoughts  about 
everything  with  which  we  come  in  contact.  Su- 
perior idealism  is  not  mere  dreaming  of  the  great 
and  the  beautiful,  but  is  actual  living  in  mental  har- 
mony with  the  very  best  we  can  find  in  all  things, 
in  all  persons,  in  all  circumstances  and  in  all  ex- 
pressions of  life.  To  live  in  mental  harmony  with 
the  best  we  can  find  everywhere  is  to  create  the  best 
in  our  own  mentality  and  personality;  and  as  we 
steadily  grow  into  the  likeness  of  that  which  we 
think  of  the  most,  we  will,  through  ideal  thinking, 
perpetually  increase  our  power,  capacity  and  worth. 
In  consequence,  we  will  naturally  create  a  greater 
and  a  more  worthy  destiny. 

The  man  who  becomes  much  will  achieve  much, 
and  great  achievements  invariably  build  a  great  des- 
tiny. To  think  of  anything  that  is  less  than  the  best, 
or  to  mentally  dwell  with  the  inferior  is  to  neu- 
tralize the  effect  of  those  superior  ideals  that  we 
have  begun  to  entertain.  To  secure  the  greatest  re- 
sults it  is  therefore  absolutely  necessary  to  enter- 
tain superior  ideals  only  and  to  cease  all  recogni- 
tion of  inferiority  or  imperfection.  The  reason  why 
the  majority  fail  to  secure  any  tangible  results  from 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  175 

higher  ideals  is  because  they  entertain  too  many 
of  the  lower  ideals  at  the  same  time.  They  may 
aim  high;  they  may  adore  the  beautiful;  they  may 
desire  the  perfect ;  they  may  live  for  the  better  and 
work  for  the  greater,  but  they  do  not  think  their  best 
thoughts  about  everything,  and  this  is  the  reason 
why  they  do  not  reach  the  goal  they  have  in  view. 
Some  of  their  forces  are  building  for  greater  things, 
while  other  forces  are  building  for  lesser  things,  and 
a  house  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand. 

Superior  idealism  contains  no  thought  that  is  less 
than  the  very  greatest  and  the  very  best  that  the 
most  lofty  states  of  mind  can  possibly  produce,  and 
it  entertains  no  desire  that  has  not  the  very  greatest 
worth,  the  greatest  power,  and  the  highest  attain- 
ment in  view.  Superior  idealism  does  not  recognize 
the  power  of  evil  in  anything  or  in  anybody;  it 
knows  that  adverse  conditions  exist,  but  it  gives 
the  matter  no  conscious  thought  whatever.  It  is 
not  possible  to  think  the  greatest  thought  about 
everything  while  mind  is  giving  conscious  attention 
to  adversity  or  imperfection.  The  true  idealist, 
therefore,  gives  conscious  recognition  to  the  power 
of  good  only,  and  he  lives  in  the  conviction  that  all 
things  in  his  life  are  constantly  working  together 
for  good.  This  conviction  is  not  mere  sentiment 
with  the  idealist.  He  knows  that  all  things  posi- 
tively will  work  together  for  good  when  we  recog- 
nize only  the  good,  think  only  the  good,  desire  only 


176  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

the  good  and  expect  only  the  good;  likewise,  he 
knows  that  all  things  positively  will  work  together 
for  greater  things  when  all  the  powers  of  life, 
thought  and  action  are  concentrated  upon  the  at» 
tainment  and  the  achievement  of  greater  things. 

To  apply  the  principles  of  superior  idealism  in 
all  things  means  advancement  in  all  things.  To 
follow  the  superior  ideal  is  to  move  towards  the 
higher,  the  greater  and  the  superior,  and  no  one 
can  continue  very  long  in  that  movement  without 
creating  for  himself  a  new  world,  a  better  environ- 
ment and  a  greater  destiny.  To  create  a  better 
future  begin  now  to  select  a  better  group  of  ideals. 
Select  the  best  and  the  greatest  ideals  that  you  can 
possibly  find,  and  live  those  ideals  absolutely.  You 
will  thus  cause  everything  in  your  being  to  work 
for  the  higher,  the  better  and  the  greater,  and  the 
things  that  you  work  for  now  will  determine  what 
the  future  is  to  be.  Work  for  the  greatest  and  the 
best  that  you  know  in  the  present,  and  you  will 
create  the  very  greatest  and  the  very  best  for  the 
future. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

TO  HIM  THAT  HATH  SHALL  BE  GIVEN. 

The  statement  that  much  gathers  more  is  true  on 
every  plane  of  life  and  in  every  sphere  of  existence ; 
and  the  converse  that  every  loss  leads  to  a  greater 
loss  is  equally  true ;  though  we  must  remember  that 
man  can  stop  either  process  at  any  time  or  place. 
The  further  down  you  go  the  more  rapidly  you  will 
move  towards  the  depths,  and  the  higher  up  you  go 
the  easier  it  becomes  to  go  higher  still.  When  you 
begin  to  gain  you  will  gain  more,  because  "To  him 
that  hath  shall  be  given."  When  you  begin  to  lose 
you  will  lose  more,  because  from  "Him  that  hath 
not,  even  that  which  he  hath  shall  be  taken  away." 
This  is  a  great  metaphysical  law,  and  being  meta- 
physical, man  has  the  power  to  use  it  in  any  way 
that  he  may  desire.  As  man  is  in  the  within,  so 
everything  will  be  in  his  external  world.  Therefore, 
whether  man  is  to  lose  or  gain  in  the  without  de- 
pends upon  whether  he  is  losing  or  gaining  in  the 
within. 

The  basis  of  all  possession  is  found  in  the  con- 
sciousness of  man,  and  not  in  exterior  circum- 
stances, laws  or  conditions.  If  a  man's  conscious- 

177 


178  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

ness  is  accumulative,  he  will  positively  accumulate, 
no  matter  where  he  may  live;  but  whether  his 
riches  are  to  be  physical,  intellectual  or  spiritual 
will  depend  upon  the  construction  of  his  mind. 
When  the  mind  has  the  greatest  development  on  the 
physical  plane  an  accumulative  consciousnesss  will 
gather  tangible  possessions.  When  the  mind  has  the 
greatest  development  on  the  intellectual  or  meta- 
physical plane,  an  accumulative  consciousness  will 
gather  abundance  of  knowledge  and  wisdom.  When 
the  mind  has  the  greatest  development  on  the  spirit- 
ual plane  an  accumulative  consciousness  will  gather 
spiritual  riches.  However  competent  you  may  be 
on  the  physical  plane,  if  your  consciousness  is 
not  accumulative,  you  will  not  gain  possession 
of  a  great  deal  of  this  world's  goods.  Likewise, 
no  matter  how  diligently  you  may  search  for 
wisdom  in  the  higher  spiritual  possessions,  if 
your  consciousness  is  not  accumulative  you  will  gain 
but  little.  In  fact,  you  will  constantly  lose  the 
knowledge  of  truth  on  the  one  hand  while  trying  to 
gain  it  on  the  other.  Therefore,  to  gain  abundance 
in  the  world  of  things  or  tangible  possessions,  the 
secret  is  to  become  competent  in  our  chosen  voca- 
tions, and  then  acquire  an  accumulative  con- 
sciousness. 

To  gain  the  riches  of  the  mind  and  the  soul,  the 
secret  is  to  develop  the  same  accumulative  con- 
sciousness and  to  consecrate  all  the  powers  of  mind 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  179 

and  thought  to  spiritual  things.  There  are  thou- 
sands in  this  age  who  have  consecrated  their  whole 
lives  to  the  higher  state  of  being,  but  there  are  very- 
few  who  have  gained  the  real  riches  of  the  spiritual 
kingdom,  and  the  reason  is  they  have  neglected  the 
development  of  the  accumulative  consciousnesss. 
In  other  words,  they  have  overlooked  the  great  law, 
' '  To  him  that  hath  shall  be  given. ' '  Those  who  have 
nothing  will  receive  nothing,  no  matter  how  de- 
votedly they  may  pray  or  how  beautifully  they  may 
live.  But  to  have  is  not  simply  to  possess  in  the  ex- 
ternal sense.  Those  who  are  conscious  of  nothing 
have  nothing.  Those  who  are  conscious  of  much 
have  much,  regardless  of  external  possession.  Be- 
fore we  can  gain  anything  we  must  have  something, 
and  to  have  something  is  to  be  conscious  of  some- 
thing. 

We  must  be  conscious  of  possession  in  the  within 
before  we  can  increase  possession  in  any  sphere 
of  existence.  All  possession  is  based  upon  con- 
sciousness and  is  held  by  consciousness  or  lost  by 
consciousness.  All  gain  is  the  result  of  an  accumu- 
lative consciousness.  All  loss  is  due  to  what  may  be 
termed  the  scattering  consciousness;  that  is,  that 
state  of  consciousness  that  lets  go  of  everything 
that  may  come  within  its  sphere.  When  you  are 
conscious  of  something  you  are  among  those  that 
hath  and  to  you  shall  be  given  more.  As  soon  as 
you  gain  conscious  hold  of  things  you  will  begin  to 


180  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

gain  possession  of  more  and  more  things.  As  soon 
as  you  gain  conscious  hold  upon  wisdom  and  spirit- 
ual power,  wisdom  and  spiritual  power  will  he 
given  to  you  in  greater  and  greater  ahundance.  On 
the  other  hand,  when  you  begin  to  lose  conscious 
hold  of  things,  thoughts  or  powers  you  will  begin  to 
lose  more  and  more  of  those  possessions,  until  all 
are  gone. 

When  you  inwardly  feel  that  things  are  slipping 
away  from  you,  you  are  losing  your  conscious  hold 
of  things,  and  all  will  finally  be  lost  if  you  do  not 
change  your  consciousness.  When  you  inwardly  feel 
that  you  are  gaining  more  and  more,  or  that  things 
are  beginning  to  gravitate  towards  your  sphere  of 
existence,  more  and  more  will  be  given  to  you  until 
you  have  everything  that  you  may  desire.  How  we 
feel  in  the  within  is  the  secret,  and  it  is  this  interior 
feeling  that  determines  whether  we  are  to  be  among 
those  that  have  or  among  those  that  have  not. 
When  you  feel  in  the  within  that  you  are  gaining 
more  you  are  among  those  that  have,  and  to  you 
shall  be  given  more.  When  you  feel  in  the  within 
that  you  are  losing  what  you  have,  you  are  among 
those  that  have  not,  and  from  you  shall  be  taken 
away  even  that  which  you  have. 

When  we  learn  that  mind  is  cause  and  that  every- 
thing we  gain  may  come  from  the  action  of  mind 
as  cause,  we  discover  that  all  possession  is  depend- 
ent upon  the  attitude  of  mind,  and  since  we  have 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  181 

the  power  to  hold  the  mind  in  any  attitude  desired, 
all  the  laws  of  gain  and  possession  are  in  our  own 
hands.  When  this  discovery  is  made  we  begin  to 
gain  conscious  possession  of  ourselves,  and  to  him 
that  hath  himself  all  other  things  shall  be  given. 
To  feel  that  you,  yourself,  are  the  power  behind 
other  powers,  and  that  you  may  determine  what  is 
to  come  and  what  is  to  go,  is  to  become  conscious 
of  the  fact  that  you  are  something.  You  thus  be- 
come conscious  of  something  in  yourself  that  is  real, 
that  is  substantial  and  that  is  actually  supreme  in 
your  world.  To  become  conscious  of  something  in 
yourself  is  to  have  something,  and  to  have  some- 
thing is  to  gain  more ;  consequently,  by  gaining  con- 
sciousness of  that  something  that  is  real  in  your- 
self you  become  one  of  those  that  hath,  and  to  you 
shall  be  given. 

To  gain  consciousness  of  the  real  in  yourself  is  to 
gain  consciousness  of  the  real  in  life,  and  the  more 
you  feel  the  reality  of  life  the  more  real  life  becomes. 
The  result  is  that  your  consciousness  of  the  reality 
of  life  becomes  larger  and  larger;  it  comprehends 
more  and  takes  in  more.  In  other  words,  it  is  be- 
coming accumulative.  When  this  realization  is  at- 
tained you  gain  conscious  hold  upon  life  and  are 
gradually  gaining  conscious  hold  upon  everything 
that  exists  in  life.  This  means  a  greater  and 
greater  mastery  of  life,  and  mastery  is  always  fol- 
lowed by  an  increase  in  possession.  Whatever  you 


182  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

become  conscious  of  in  yourself,  that  you  gain  pos- 
session of  in  yourself.  Whatever  you  gain  posses- 
sion of  in  yourself,  that  you  can  constructively  em- 
ploy in  your  sphere  of  existence,  and  whatever  is 
constructively  employed  is  productive;  it  produces 
something.  Therefore,  by  becoming  conscious  of 
something  you  gain  the  power  to  produce  some- 
thing, and  products  on  any  plane  constitute  riches 
on  that  plane. 

The  more  you  become  conscious  of  in  yourself  and 
in  your  life  the  greater  your  power  to  create  and 
produce  in  your  sphere  of  action,  and  the  more 
wealth  you  produce  the  greater  your  possession, 
providing  you  have  learned  how  to  retain  the  prod- 
ucts of  your  own  talent.  When  we  analyze  these 
laws  from  another  point  of  view  we  find  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  real  in  ourselves  produces  an  as- 
cending tendency  in  the  mind,  and  whenever  the 
mind  begins  to  go  up,  the  law  of  action  and  reaction 
will  continue  to  press  the  mind  up  further  and  fur- 
ther indefinitely.  Every  upward  action  of  mind,  pro- 
duces a  reaction  that  pushes  the  mind  upward  still 
farther.  As  the  mind  is  pushed  upward  a  second 
upward  action  is  expressed  that  is  stronger  than  the 
first;  this  in  turn  produces  a  second  reaction 
stronger  than  the  first  reaction,  and  the  mind  is 
pushed  upward  the  second  time  much  farther  than 
it  was  the  first  time.  The  fact  is,  when  the  mind 
enters  the  ascending  scale  the  law  of  action  and  re- 
action will  perpetuate  the  ascension  so  long  as  the 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  183 

mind  takes  a  conscious  interest  in  the  progress 
made ;  but  the  moment  the  mind  loses  interest  in  the 
movement  the  law  will  reverse  itself  and  the  mind 
enters  the  descending  scale.  Therefore,  become  con- 
scious of  the  law  in  yourself  and  take  a  conscious 
interest  in  every  step  in  advance  that  you  make,  and 
you  will  go  up  in  the  scale  of  life  continually  and 
indefinitely. 

When  the  mind  is  in  the  ascending  scale  it  is 
steadily  becoming  larger,  more  powerful  and  more 
competent,  and  will  consequently  be  in  demand 
where  recompense  is  large  and  the  opportunities 
more  numerous.  Such  a  mind  will  naturally  gain 
step  by  step  in  rapid  succession.  To  such  a  mind 
will  be  given  more  and  more  continually,  because  it 
has  placed  itself  in  the  world  of  those  who  have.  The 
great  secret  of  gaining  more,  regardless  of  circum- 
stances, is  to  continue  perpetually  to  go  up  in  mind. 
No  matter  how  things  are  going  about  you,  continue 
to  go  up  in  mind.  Every  upward  step  that  is  taken 
in  mind  adds  power  to  mind,  and  this  added  power 
will  produce  added  results  in  the  tangible  world. 
When  these  added  results  are  observed  mind  gains 
more  faith  in  itself,  and  more  faith  always  brings 
more  power.  On  the  other  hand,  when  we  permit 
ourselves  to  go  down  in  mind,  because  things  seem 
to  go  down,  we  lose  power.  This  loss  of  power  will 
prevent  us  from  doing  our  work  properly  or  from 
using  those  things  and  conditions  about  us  to  the 


184  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

best  advantage.  In  consequence,  things  will  act- 
ually go  down  more  and  more;  and  if  we  permit 
this  losing  of  ground  to  make  us  still  more  discour- 
aged, we  lose  still  more  power,  to  be  followed  by 
still  more  adversity  and  loss.  It  is  therefore  evident 
that  the  way  we  go  in  mind  everything  in  our  world 
will  go  also,  and  that  if  we  change  our  minds  and 
stay  changed,  everything  else  will  change  and  stay 
changed.  If  we  continue  to  go  up  in  mind,  never 
permitting  retrogression  for  a  moment,  everything 
in  our  world  will  continue  to  go  up,  and  there  will 
not  even  be  signs  of  reverse,  much  less  the  loss  of 
anything  which  we  wish  to  retain. 

When  things  seem  to  go  wrong  we  should  stay 
right  and  continue  to  stay  right,  and  things  will  soon 
decide  to  come  and  be  right  also.  This  is  a  law  that 
works  and  never  fails  to  work.  When  we  permit 
ourselves  to  go  wrong  because  things  seem  to  go 
wrong,  we  produce  what  may  be  termed  the  letting 
go  attitude  of  mind,  and  when  we  cease  to  hold  on 
to  things,  things  will  begin  to  slip  away.  We  must 
hold  on  to  things  ourselves,  if  we  wish  to  retain  them 
for  ourselves ;  and  the  secret  of  holding  on  to  things 
is  to  continue  positively  in  that  attitude  of  mind 
that  is  perpetually  going  up  into  the  larger  and 
the  greater.  The  laws  of  life  will  continue  perpet- 
ually to  give  to  those  who  have  placed  themselves 
in  the  receiving  attitude,  and  those  same  laws  will 
take  away  from  those  who  have  placed  themselves  in 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  185 

the  losing  attitude.  When  you  create  a  turn  in 
yourself  you  will  feel  that  things  are  also  taking 
a  turn  to  a  degree ;  and  if  you  continue  persistently 
in  this  feeling,  everything  in  your  life  will  positively 
take  the  turn  that  you  have  taken.  As  you  go  every- 
thing in  your  world  will  go,  providing  you  continue 
to  go ;  the  law  of  action  and  reaction  explains  why. 
In  the  last  analysis,  however,  everything  depends 
upon  whether  consciousness  determines  how  every 
force,  element,  power  or  faculty  is  to  act,  because 
they  are  all  controlled  by  consciousness.  When 
your  consciousness  does  not  have  the  proper  hold 
on  things,  the  power  of  your  being  will  fail  to  gain 
the  proper  hold  on  things ;  but  when  your  conscious- 
ness does  possess  this  holding  power,  all  the  powers 
of  your  being  will  gain  the  same  firm  grip  upon 
everything  with  which  they  may  have  to  deal. 

To  establish  the  accumulative  consciousness,  that 
is,  that  consciousness  that  has  complete  hold  on 
things,  train  yourself  to  inwardly  feel  that  you  have 
full  possession  of  everything  in  your  own  being. 
Feel  that  you  possess  yourself.  Affirm  that  you 
possess  yourself.  Think  constantly  of  yourself  as 
possessing  yourself— everything  that  is  in  yourself, 
and  you  will  soon  be  conscious  of  absolute  self- 
possession.  Some  have  this  conscious  feeling  nat- 
urally, and  they  invariably  gain  vast  possessions, 
either  in  tangible  goods  or  in  wisdom  and  higher 
spiritual  powers.  But  every  one  can  develop  this 


186  THE  IDEAL  MADE  KEAL 

state  of  conscious  possession  of  his  whole  self  by 
remaining  firm  in  the  conviction  that  "All  that  I  am 
is  mine."  When  you  begin  to  feel  that  you  pos- 
sess yourself  you  actually  have  something  in  con- 
sciousness, and  according  to  the  laws  of  gain  and 
possessions  you  will  gain  more  and  more  without 
end.  You  are  in  the  same  consciousness  with  those 
who  have,  and  to  you  will  be  given.  You  have  es- 
tablished the  inner  cause  of  possession  through  the 
conscious  possession  of  your  entire  inner  life,  and 
the  effect  of  this  cause,  that  is,  the  perpetual  in- 
crease of  external  possession,  must  invariably  fol- 
low. In  brief,  you  have  applied  the  great  law— To 
Him  That  Hath  Himself  All  Other  Things  Shall  Be 
Given. 


CHAPTEE  XIV. 

THE  LIFE   THAT   IS   WOBTH   LIVING. 

To  the  average  person  life  means  but  little,  be- 
cause he  has  not  discovered  the  greater  possibilities 
or  his  real  existence.  He  has  been  taught  to  think 
that  to  make  a  fortune  or  to  make  a  name  for  him- 
self are  the  only  things  worth  while,  and  if  he  does 
not  happen  to  have  the  necessary  talent  for  these 
accomplishments  there  is  nothing  much  else  for  him 
to  do  but  to  merely  exist.  However,  if  he  has  been 
touched  with  the  force  of  ambition,  or  if  he  has  had 
a  glimpse  of  the  ideal,  mere  existence  does  not  sat- 
isfy, and  the  result  is  a  life  of  unhappiness  and  dis- 
satisfaction. But  such  a  person  must  learn  that 
there  are  other  openings  and  opportunities  in  life 
besides  mere  existence,  regardless  of  what  the  men- 
tal capacity  of  the  individual  may  be.  These  other 
opportunities,  when  taken  advantage  of,  will  give 
just  as  much  happiness,  if  not  more,  than  what  is 
secured  by  those  who  have  won  the  admiration  of 
the  world ;  besides,  when  one  learns  to  live  for  these 
other  things  real  living  becomes  a  fine  art,  and  he 
begins  to  live  a  life  that  is  really  worth  while. 

There  is  many  a  person  whose  present  position 

187 


188  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

in  life  depends  almost  wholly  upon  his  financial  re- 
turns, and  if  these  are  small,  with  no  indications 
of  immediate  increase,  his  life  seems  to  be  almost,  if 
not  wholly,  a  barren  waste ;  not  because  it  is  a  barren 
waste,  but  because  he  has  not  found  the  real  riches 
of  existence.  The  trouble  with  this  person  is  the 
point  of  view;  he  is  depending  upon  things  instead 
of  depending  upon  himself.  He  must  learn  that 
there  is  something  more  to  live  for  besides  his  sal- 
ary and  what  his  salary  can  buy.  The  value  of  the 
individual  life  is  not  measured  by  the  quantity  of 
possessions,  but  by  the  quality  of  existence.  The 
value  of  life  comes  not  from  having  much,  but  from 
being  much;  and  happiness  is  invariably  a  state  of 
mind  coming,  not  from  what  a  person  has,  but  from 
what  he  is.  We  must  remember,  however,  that  he 
who  is  much  will  finally  gain  much,  providing  the 
powers  in  his  possession  are  practically  applied; 
and  his  gains  will  have  high  quality  whether  they 
be  gains  in  the  world  of  things  or  in  the  world  of 
mind,  consciousness  and  soul. 

The  problem  for  the  average  person  to  solve  is 
what  he  actually  can  do  with  himself  in  his  present 
position.  He  may  not  be  earning  much  now,  and 
his  opportunities  for  earning  more  may  not  be 
clearly  in  evidence,  but  he  is  nevertheless  living  in 
a  great  sea  of  opportunities,  many  of  which  may  be 
taken  advantage  of  at  once.  The  first  of  these  is 
the  opportunity  to  make  of  himself  a  great  person- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  189 

ality,  and  in  taking  advantage  of  this  opportunity 
he  should  remember  that  to  do  great  things  in  the 
world  is  not  the  only  thing  worth  while.  To  be  great 
in  the  world  is  of  equal  if  not  greater  worth,  and  he 
who  is  now  becoming  great  in  his  own  life  will,  with- 
out fail,  do  great  things  in  years  to  come.  The  ma- 
jority of  those  who  have  practical  capacity  are  mak- 
ing strenuous  efforts  to  do  something  great,  some- 
thing startling,  that  will  arrest  the  attention  of  the 
world;  while  those  who  do  not  possess  this  practi- 
cal capacity  are  not  satisfied  because  they  are  not 
similarly  favored.  In  the  meantime  neither  class 
gains  happiness,  and  the  best  forces  of  life  are  em- 
ployed in  the  making  of  things,  most  of  which  are 
valueless,  while  the  making  of  great  personalities 
is  postponed  to  some  future  time. 

The  capacity  to  make  great  things  is  not  the  only 
capacity  of  value  in  the  possession  of  man;  but  all 
minds  do  not  possess  this  capacity;  all  minds,  how- 
ever, do  possess  the  power  to  remake  themselves  in 
the  exact  likeness  of  all  that  is  great  and  beautiful 
and  ideal.  Begin  now  to  rebuild  your  own  person- 
ality and  proceed  in  the  realization  of  the  fact  that 
you  have  the  power  to  produce  an  edition  DeLuxe 
out  of  your  own  present  personal  self.  You  could 
hardly  find  a  purpose  of  greater  interest  and  of 
greater  possibility  than  this,  and  results  will  be 
secured  from  the  very  beginning.  To  find  your  own 
personality  passing  through  a  transformation  pro- 


190  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

cess,  bringing  out  into  expression  the  finest  and  the 
best  that  you  can  picture  in  your  ideals,  is  some- 
thing that  will  add  immensely  to  the  joy  and  the 
worth  of  living.  In  fact,  this  alone  would  make  life 
not  only  worth  living,  but  so  rich  that  every  moment 
would  become  a  source  of  unbounded  satisfaction  in 
itself. 

The  average  person  usually  asks  himself  how 
much  money  he  can  make  during  the  next  ten  years, 
but  why  should  he  not  ask  himself  how  much  happi- 
ness he  can  enjoy  during  those  same  years,  or  how 
much  brilliancy  he  can  develop  in  his  mind,  or  how 
much  more  beautiful  he  may  become  in  body,  charac- 
ter and  soul?  He  would  find  that  by  living  for  these 
latter  things  he  would  not  only  perpetually  enrich 
his  life  and  live  a  life  that  is  thoroughly  worth  liv- 
ing, but  he  would  find  that  the  earning  of  money 
would  become  much  easier  than  if  he  simply  lived 
for  material  gain  alone.  The  ambition  of  the  aver- 
age person  is  to  do  something  great  in  the  world  of 
things ;  but  why  is  he  not  ambitious  to  do  something 
great  in  the  perfecting  of  his  own  being,  the  most 
wonderful  world  in  the  universe!  Such  ambitions 
are  truly  worth  living  for  and  working  for,  but  our 
attention  has  not  been  called  to  their  extraordinary 
possibilities;  therefore,  we  have  neglected  the 
greater  while  wasting  most  of  our  energies  on  the 
lesser. 

There  are  a  number  of  ambitions  outside  of  the 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  191 

usual  ones  that  could  engage  our  attention  with  the 
greatest  of  profit,  because  they  not  only  have  worth 
in  themselves,  but  they  lead  to  so  many  other  things 
that  have  worth.  The  desire  to  secure  as  much  out  of 
life  as  life  can  possibly  give  will  not  only  make  liv- 
ing intensely  interesting,  but  the  more  life  a  per- 
son can  live  the  more  power  he  will  get.  Live  a 
great  life  and  you  gain  great  power.  The  increase 
of  your  power  will  enable  you  to  carry  out  a  number 
of  other  ambitions,  thus  adding  to  the  richness  of 
your  life  from  almost  every  imaginable  source. 
When  a  person  declares  that  his  greatest  ambition 
is  to  live  he  is  taking  the  most  interesting,  the  most 
satisfying,  the  most  profitable  and  the  most  com- 
plete course  in  life  that  can  possibly  be  selected. 
Living,  itself,  when  made  a  fine  art,  is  one  continu- 
ous feast,  and  the  fact  that  all  increase  of  power 
comes  from  the  increase  of  life  makes  the  ambition 
to  live  not  only  the  greatest  ambition  of  all,  but  the 
means  through  which  all  other  ambitions  may  be 
realized. 

If  your  present  life  does  not  hold  as  much  as  you 
would  wish,  do  not  think  of  it  as  an  empty  state  of 
existence.  Do  not  depend  upon  those  few  things 
that  you  are  receiving  from  the  external  world ;  but 
begin  to  draw  upon  the  limitless  life  and  power  that 
exists  in  the  vastness  of  your  interior  world.  Then 
you  will  find  something  to  live  for.  Then  you  will 
begin  to  live  a  life  that  is  thoroughly  worth  while. 


192  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

Then  you  will  find  the  real  riches  of  existence,  and 
you  will  also  find  that  these  riches  will  so  increase 
your  personal  power  and  worth  that  you  will  be- 
come able  to  take  advantage  of  those  opportunities 
that  lead  to  things  of  tangible  worth. 

When  the  world  of  things  does  not  seem  to  hold 
any  new  opportunities  for  you  resolve  to  grow  more 
and  more  beautiful  in  body,  character  and  soul  with 
the  passing  of  the  years.  Make  this  your  ambition, 
and  if  you  do  your  utmost  to  carry  out  this  ambi- 
tion, you  will  gain  far  more  satisfaction  from  its  re- 
alization than  if  you  had  amassed  an  immense  for- 
tune. Live  to  express  in  body,  mind  and  soul  all 
that  is  high  and  beautiful  and  ideal  in  your  sublime 
nature,  and  you  will  not  only  give  yourself  un- 
bounded joy,  but  you  will  become  a  great  inspira- 
tion to  the  entire  world.  The  life  that  is  not  ex- 
pressed through  the  beautiful  nor  surrounded  by 
the  beautiful  is  not  worth  a  great  deal  to  the  mind 
of  man;  but  there  is  practically  no  end  to  the  joy 
and  richness  that  man  may  gain  through  that  which 
is  actually  beautiful.  The  beautiful  not  only  gives 
happiness,  but  it  opens  the  mind  of  man  to  those 
higher  realms  from  which  proceed  all  that  is  worthy 
or  great  or  ideal.  To  look  upon  the  beautiful  is  to 
gain  glimpses  of  that  vast  transcendent  world 
where  supreme  life  is  working  out  the  marvelous 
destiny  of  man.  Therefore,  there  can  be  no  greater 
ambition  than  to  live  for  the  purpose  of  giving 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  193 

higher  and  more  ideal  expression  to  the  life  of  that 
sublime  world. 

To  give  expression  in  personal  life  to  the  great 
riches  of  the  interior  world  is  worth  far  more,  both 
to  yourself  and  to  the  race,  than  it  is  to  gain  posses- 
sion of  any  number  of  things  in  the  external  world. 
The  man  who  simply  gains  wealth  never  gains  hap- 
piness; besides,  he  is  soon  forgotten.  But  the  man 
who  will  live  for  the  purpose  of  giving  expression 
to  mental  and  spiritual  wealth  will  gain  unlimited 
happiness,  and  his  life  will  be  so  illustrious  that  his 
name  will  never  be  forgotten.  And  remember  that 
no  matter  how  insignificant  your  position  in  life 
may  be  to-day,  or  how  small  your  income,  or  how 
limited  your  opportunities,  you  can  begin  this 
moment  to  give  expression  to  the  vast  riches  of  your 
interior  life;  and  before  you  take  your  departure 
from  this  sphere  you  may  become  such  a  great  light 
in  the  world  of  higher  illumined  attainment  that 
your  accomplishments  in  this  unique  sphere  of  ac- 
tion will  continue  to  inspire  the  world  for  ages  yet 
to  come. 

To  live  for  the  purpose  of  developing  the  gold 
mines  of  the  mind  and  the  diamond  fields  of  the  soul, 
are  ambitions  that  might  engage  the  attention  of 
millions  who  have  found  no  satisfaction  in  the  world 
of  things;  and  to  those  who  will  make  these  their 
leading  ambitions  a  rich  future  is  certainly  in  store ; 
and,  in  addition,  the  present  will  be  filled  to  overflow- 


194  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

ing  with  almost  everything  that  can  give  interest 
and  happiness  to  life.  To  develop  a  charming  per- 
sonality, to  live  a  long  life,  to  live  a  happy  life,  and 
to  retain  your  health,  your  youth  and  your  vigor  as 
long  as  you  live,  these  are  ambitions  that  anyone 
can  work  for  with  the  greatest  interest  and  profit; 
and  to  him  who  will  accomplish  these  things  the 
world  will  give  more  honor  than  it  has  given  to 
its  greatest  musicians,  its  most  brilliant  orators 
or  its  most  illustrious  statesmen. 

To  live  for  the  purpose  of  unfolding  the  latent 
powers  of  your  being  is  a  work  that  will  not  only 
prove  interesting  to  an  exceptional  degree,  but  will 
prove  exceedingly  rich  in  future  possibilities.  That 
there  is  practically  no  end  to  the  possibilities  that 
are  latent  in  man  is  now  the  firm  conviction  of  all 
real  psychologists.  Therefore,  we  need  not  weep 
because  there  are  no  more  worlds  to  conquer.  We 
are  on  the  borderland  of  greater  worlds  than  were 
ever  dreamed  of  by  the  most  illumined  seers  that 
the  world  has  ever  kn^wn.  We  need  not  feel  dis- 
couraged because  our  position  in  life  seems  unin- 
teresting or  insignificant.  We  have  opportunities 
at  our  very  door  that  are  so  great  and  so  numerous 
that  it  will  require  an  eternity  to  take  advantage  of 
them  all.  Though  the  external  world  may  not  as  yet 
have  given  us  much  to  live  for,  the  internal  world 
stands  ready  to  lavish  upon  us  so  much  that  is  rich 
and  marvelous  that  not  a  single  moment  need  be 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL  195 

otherwise  than  a  feast  fit  for  the  gods.  The  doors 
of  this  internal  world  are  open,  and  he  who  will 
walk  in  will  begin  to  live  a  life  that  is  great,  indeed. 
When  we  look  into  life  as  life  really  is  there  is  so 
much  to  live  for  and  there  is  so  much  to  accomplish 
and  attain  that  even  eternity  seems  too  short.  The 
problem  to  solve  is  to  know  the  greatest  thing  we 
can  do  now;  and  the  solution  may  be  found  by  re- 
solving to  live  for  that  which  is  nearest  at  hand, 
whatever  that  may  be.  Accept  the  greatest  oppor- 
tunity that  you  can  take  advantage  of  now,  and  then 
begin  to  live  for  the  working  out  of  everything  that 
that  opportunity  may  contain.  Do  not  long  for  op- 
portunities that  are  out  of  reach.  The  majority  do 
this  and  thus  waste  their  time.  Do  not  wait  for  op- 
portunities to  do  great  things.  The  opportunity  to 
make  of  yourself  a  great  soul,  a  marvelous  mind 
and  a  higher  developed  personality  is  at  hand,  and 
by  taking  advantage  of  this  opportunity  you  will 
awaken  within  yourself  those  powers  that  can  do 
great  things.  You  will  thus  cause  your  present  to 
become  all  that  you  may  wish  it  to  be ;  you  will  build 
for  a  future  that  which  will  be  nothing  less  than  ex- 
traordinary ;  and  you  will  be  living  a  life  that  is  thor- 
oughly worth  living  in  the  great  eternal  now.  You 
will  be  making  the  ideal  real  at  every  step  of  the 
way,  but  every  moment  will  lead  you  into  worlds  that 
are  richer  and  realms  that  are  fairer  than  you  ever 
dreamed  of  before.  It  is  therefore  evident  that  when 


196  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

we  learn  to  live  the  life  that  is  really  worth  living, 
there  is  no  reason  whatever  why  a  single  moment 
should  be  empty,  dull  or  uninteresting  in  the  life  of 
any  person,  because  there  is  so  much  to  live  for  that 
has  real  worth,  so  much  to  enjoy  that  holds  real  en- 
joyment, so  much  to  do  that  is  thoroughly  worth  do- 
ing ;  besides,  the  whole  of  life,  when  actually  lived,  is 
eternally  alive  with  interest,  ever  revealing  the 
splendor  of  its  vast  transcendent  domains.  And  he 
who  aims  to  live  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  the  re- 
alization of,  and  the  possession  of,  as  many  spheres 
of  this  life  as  possible  will  find  full  expression  for 
every  ambition  and  every  aspiration  that  he  can 
possibly  arouse  in  his  mind.  Life  to  him  will  be  a 
continuous  feast  and  existence  will  become  an  end- 
less advancement  into  the  highest  attainments  and 
the  greater  achievements  that  even  the  most  illus- 
trious mind  can  picture  as  its  goal. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

WHEN   ALL  THINGS   BECOME  POSSIBLE. 

When  the  mind  is  placed  in  conscious  contact 
with  the  limitless  powers  of  universal  life  all  things 
become  possible,  and  faith  is  the  secret.  To  have 
faith  is  to  possess  that  interior  insight  through 
which  we  can  discern  the  marvelous  possibilities 
that  are  latent  in  the  great  within,  and  to  possess 
the  power  to  enter  into  the  very  life  of  the  great 
within.  To  most  minds  there  seems  to  be  a  veil  in 
consciousness  between  the  spheres  of  present  under- 
standing and  the  spheres  of  the  higher  wisdom,  and 
though  there  are  many  who  feel  distinctly  that  there 
is  something  greater  within  them,  yet  it  seems  hid- 
den, and  they  cannot  discern  it.  Faith,  however,  has 
the  power  to  perceive  those  greater  things  within 
that  previously  seemed  hidden,  and  this  is  the  rea- 
son why  faith  is  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen. 
Faith  does  not  simply  believe.  It  knows;  it  knows 
through  higher  insight,  because  faith  is  this  higher 
insight.  Faith  is  not  blind,  objective  belief,  but  a 
higher  development  of  consciousness  through  which 
the  mind  transcends  the  circumscribed  and  enters 
into  the  life  of  the  boundless. 

197 


198  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

When  faith  is  active  consciousness  is  expanded 
so  much  that  it  breaks  all  bounds  and  penetrates 
even  those  realms  that  objective  man  has  never 
heard  of  before.  In  this  way  new  truth  and  dis- 
coveries are  brought  to  light,  and  this  is  how  man 
gains  the  understanding  of  what  previously  seemed 
to  be  beyond  his  comprehension.  "When  we  define 
faith  as  that  power  in  mind  through  which  conscious- 
ness can  penetrate  into  the  larger  sphere  of  life  we 
perceive  readily  why  almost  anything  can  be  ac- 
complished through  faith,  and  we  also  understand 
why  no  one  can  afford  to  work  without  faith.  When 
consciousness  enters  a  larger  sphere  of  action  its 
capacity  is  naturally  increased,  and  the  greater 
power  that  can  be  drawn  upon  in  performing  any 
kind  of  work  increases  in  proportion;  likewise,  the 
knowing  how  to  work  will  be  promoted  in  the  same 
manner.  To  do  anything  successfully  one  must 
know  how  to  do  it  and  have  the  power  to  do  what 
one  knows  should  be  done,  and  both  these  essentials 
are  increased  in  proportion  to  the  enlargement  of 
consciousness.  One  of  the  principal  metaphysical 
laws  declares  that  whatever  you  become  conscious 
of  you  express  through  your  personality;  therefore, 
according  to  this  law  more  life,  more  power  and 
more  wisdom  will  come  into  actual  possession  in  the 
personal  life  as  we  become  conscious  of  more  and 
more  of  these  things  in  the  mental  life;  in  other 
words,  the  ideal  is  made  real. 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  199 

The  art  of  extending  consciousness  into  the 
realms  of  unlimited  life  and  power  and  -wisdom  is 
the  secret  through  which  all  great  attainments  and 
great  achievements  become  possible;  but  without 
faith  this  enlargement  of  consciousness  cannot  take 
place,  because  faith  is  that  power  that  perceives  and 
enters  into  the  greater  things  that  are  still  before  us. 
Faith  looks  into  the  beyond  of  every  faculty,  talent 
or  power  and  perceives  that  there  is  much  more  of 
these  same  talents  and  powers  further  on.  In  fact, 
there  is  no  visible  limit  to  anything  when  viewed 
through  the  eyes  of  faith.  Consciousness  does  not 
extend  itself  in  any  direction  until  it  feels  that  there 
will  be  tangible  grounds  upon  which  to  proceed. 
You  can  become  conscious  only  of  those  things  that 
seem  real;  therefore,  to  extend  your  consciousness 
in  any  direction  you  must  secure  evidence  of  the  fact 
that  there  is  more  reality  in  that  direction ;  and  here 
we  find  the  great  mission  of  faith.  Faith  supplies 
this  evidence.  Faith  looks  further  on  into  the  be- 
yond and  sees  real  reality  at  every  step,  and  proves 
to  consciousness  that  things  not  seen  are  thoroughly 
substantial.  Faith  discerns  that  there  is  no  danger 
in  going  on  and  on  because  there  is  solid  ground  all 
the  way,  no  matter  how  far  into  the  limitless  we  may 
wish  to  go;  there  is  no  danger  of  being  lost  in  an 
empty  void  by  following  faith.  Instead,  faith  gives 
us  a  positive  assurance  of  finding  more  life,  more 


200  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

power,  more  wisdom  and  a  fairer  state  of  existence 
than  we  ever  knew  before. 

The  practical  value  of  faith  is  therefore  to  be 
found  in  its  power  to  enlarge  all  the  faculties  and 
spheres  of  action  in  the  mind  of  man,  and  as  this 
enlargement  can  go  on  indefinitely,  as  there  is  no 
end  to  the  visible,  we  conclude  that  anything  can  be 
accomplished  by  following  faith.  No  matter  how 
much  wisdom  or  power  we  may  require  to  reach  the 
goal  we  have  in  view  we  can  finally  secure  the  re- 
quired amount  through  the  perpetual  enlargement 
of  consciousness.  This  is  evident,  and  since  faith 
is  that  something  in  mind  that  leads  consciousness 
on  and  on  into  larger  fields  of  action  it  becomes  in- 
dispensable to  all  growth,  to  all  great  achievements, 
to  all  high  attainments  and  to  the  realization  of  all 
true  ideals.  The  man  who  has  no  faith  in  himself 
can  neither  improve  himself  nor  his  work.  When 
nothing  is  added  to  his  ability,  capacity  or  skill  there 
can  be  nothing  added  to  the  quality  or  the  quantity 
of  what  he  is  doing.  The  effect  will  not  improve 
until  we  have  improved  the  cause;  and  man  himself 
is  the  cause  of  everything  that  appears  in  his  life. 

Modern  psychology,  however,  has  discovered  and 
conclusively  demonstrated  that  no  faculty  can  be 
improved  until  the  conscious  sphere  of  action  of 
that  faculty  is  enlarged  and  thoroughly  developed. 
Therefore,  to  promote  the  efficiency  of  any  faculty 
the  conscious  action  of  that  faculty  must  become 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  201 

larger  and  imbued  with  more  life.  This  is  the  fun- 
damental principle  in  all  advancement,  but  con- 
sciousness will  not  enlarge  its  sphere  of  action  until 
it  perceives  that  there  is  reality  beyond  its  present 
sphere,  and  it  is  only  through  the  interior  insight 
of  faith  that  the  greater  reality  existing  beyond 
present  limitations  is  discovered  to  be  real.  The 
lack  of  this  interior  insight  among  the  great  ma- 
jority is  the  principal  obstacle  that  prevents  them 
from  becoming  more  than  they  are.  Their  minds 
have  not  the  power  to  see  the  potential  side  of  their 
larger  nature.  They  are  aware  of  the  objective  only 
and  can  do  only  as  much  as  the  limited  power  of  the 
objective  will  permit.  But  they  are  not  aware  of 
the  fact  that  there  is  limitless  power  within,  nor  do 
they  realize  that  they  can  draw  upon  this  great  in- 
terior power  and  thus  accomplish  not  only  more  and 
more,  but  everything  that  they  may  now  have  in 
view.  Not  having  the  power  to  look  beyond  present 
attainment,  the  little  world  in  which  they  live  is  all 
that  is  real  to  them.  Occasionally  there  is  a  dream 
or  a  vision  of  greatness,  but  it  soon  fades  away,  and 
in  those  rare  instances  when  the  high  vision  contin- 
ues for  some  time  the  knowledge  of  how  to  make 
real  the  ideal  is  usually  not  at  hand. 

The  human  race  is  divided  into  three  classes ;  first, 
those  who  live  in  the  limited  world  and  never  see 
anything  beyond  the  limited ;  second,  those  who  live 
in  the  limited  world  but  have  occasional  glimpses 


202  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

of  greater  things,  though  having  neither  the  knowl- 
edge nor  the  power  to  make  their  dreams  come  true ; 
and  third,  those  who  are  constantly  passing  from  the 
lesser  to  the  greater,  making  real  every  ideal  as 
soon  as  it  comes  within  the  world  of  their  conscious 
comprehension.  The  last  group  is  small,  but  there 
are  millions  to-day  who  are  on  the  verge  of  a  larger 
sphere  of  existence,  and  for  this  reason  we  should 
usher  into  the  world  at  once  a  greater  movement 
for  the  promotion  of  faith  than  has  ever  been  known 
before.  It  is  more  faith  that  these  millions  need  in 
order  to  enter  into  the  beautiful  life  they  can  see 
before  them.  It  is  more  faith  they  must  have  be- 
fore they  can  become  as  much  as  they  desire  to  be. 
It  is  faith,  and  faith  alone,  that  can  give  them  the 
power  to  do  what  this  great  sphere  of  existence 
may  require. 

To  make  real  the  ideal  in  any  life  faith  must  be 
combined  with  work,  and  no  work  should  be  under- 
taken unless  it  can  be  animated  thoroughly  with 
the  power  of  faith.  The  reason  why  is  found  in  the 
fact  that  all  practical  action  is  weak  or  strong,  de- 
pending upon  the  capacity  of  that  part  of  the  mind 
which  directly  controls  that  action ;  and  the  capacity 
of  the  mind  increases  in  proportion  to  the  attain- 
ment of  faith.  To  accomplish  what  we  have  in  view, 
it  is  not  only  necessary  to  know  how  to  go  about  our 
work,  but  it  is  necessary  to  have  sufficient  power, 
and  faith  is  the  open  door  to  more  and  more  power. 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL  203 

The  very  moment  you  obtain  more  faith  you  feel 
stronger;  you  are  then  certain  of  results  and  the 
very  best  results;  and  the  reason  why  is  found  in 
the  fact  that  faith  always  connects  the  mind  with 
the  larger,  the  greater  and  the  inexhaustible.  On 
the  other  hand,  you  may  have  an  abundance  of 
energy,  but  do  not  see  clearly  how  to  apply  that 
energy  in  such  a  way  that  results  will  be  as  desired ; 
again  the  remedy  is  more  faith.  Faith  elevates  the 
mind  and  lifts  consciousness  up  above  doubt,  uncer- 
tainty and  confusion.  When  you  go  up  into  faith 
you  enter  the  light  and  can  see  clearly  how  to  pro- 
ceed; but  in  this  connection  we  must  avoid  a  very 
common  mistake.  When  we  discover  the  remark- 
able power  of  faith  there  is  a  tendency  to  depend 
upon  faith  exclusively  and  ignore  other  faculties. 
We  sometimes  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  matters 
little  how  we  work  or  think  or  act  so  long  as  we 
have  an  abundance  of  faith,  because  faith  will  cause 
everything  to  come  right.  The  fact,  however,  that 
we  sometimes  come  to  this  conclusion  proves  that 
we  have  not  found  real  faith,  because  when  we  have 
an  abundance  of  real  faith  we  can  see  clearly  the 
great  truth  that  all  thought  and  action  must  be  right 
to  secure  results,  and  that  all  faculties  and  powers 
must  be  employed  in  their  highest  states  of  efficiency 
if  we  wish  to  make  real  the  ideal.  Though  it  is  ab- 
solutely necessary  to  have  the  vision,  still  the  vision 
is  not  sufficient  in  itself.  After  the  vision  has  been 


204  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

discovered  in  the  ideal  it  must  be  made  real;  the 
principle  must  be  applied;  the  new  discovery  must 
be  worked  out  in  practical  action;  but  these  things 
require  both  fine  intelligence  and  practical  skill. 

Faith  without  works  is  dead,  because  it  does  noth- 
ing, uses  nothing,  creates  nothing;  it  is  as  if  it  were 
not;  and  works  without  faith  are  so  insignificant 
and  ordinary  that  they  are  usually  very  little  better 
than  nothing.  But  when  work  and  faith  are  combined 
then  everything  becomes  possible.  The  power  of 
faith  is  placed  in  action;  work  becomes  greater  and 
greater,  and  whatever  our  purpose  may  be  we  shall 
positively  scale  the  heights.  The  great  principle  is 
to  combine  unlimited  faith  with  skillful  work.  Work 
with  all  the  skill  that  you  can  possibly  cultivate, 
but  inspire  all  your  efforts  with  the  mighty  soul  of 
a  limitless  faith.  Become  as  learned,  as  intellectual 
and  as  highly  developed  in  mind  as  possible,  but 
animate  your  prodigious  intellect  with  the  supreme 
spirit  of  faith.  Faith  does  not  come  to  take  the 
place  of  art,  skill  or  intellect.  Faith  comes  to  give 
real  soul  to  art,  skill  and  intellect.  Faith  comes  to 
fill  all  physical  and  mental  action  with  renewed  life 
and  power.  It  comes  to  open  that  door  through 
which  all  our  efforts  may  pass  to  higher  and  greater 
things.  Faith  is  not  simply  for  the  moral  and  spirit- 
ual life;  is  is  not  simply  for  what  is  sometimes 
called  higher  endeavor.  It  is  for  all  endeavor,  and 
it  has  the  power  to  push  all  endeavor  with  such 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  205 

energy  and  force  that  we  simply  must  succeed,  no 
matter  what  our  work  may  be.  The  man  who  has 
faith  in  his  work,  faith  in  himself,  faith  in  the 
human  race  and  faith  in  the  Supreme— that  man 
simply  cannot  fail,  if  he  gives  the  full  power  of 
his  faith  to  everything  that  he  undertakes  to  do. 

We  must  eliminate  the  idea  that  faith  is  some- 
thing apart  from  every-day  life,  and  that  it  is  some- 
thing for  the  future  salvation  of  the  soul  only.  We 
have  held  to  that  belief  so  long  that  real  faith  has 
actually  been  separated  from  human  existence,  and 
we  find  very  few  people  to-day  who  really  know 
what  faith  actually  is.  The  fact  is  that  if  you  are 
not  giving  your  faith  to  everything  you  do,  be  it 
physical,  mental  or  spiritual,  you  have  not  as  yet 
obtained  any  faith.  When  faith  comes  it  never 
comes  to  give  greater  power  to  a  part  of  your  life. 
It  comes  to  give  supreme  power  to  all  your  life,  and 
it  comes  to  push  all  your  work  towards  higher  ef- 
ficiency and  greater  results.  When  you  have  real 
faith  you  never  undertake  anything  without  first 
placing  your  entire  being  in  the  very  highest  atti- 
tude of  faith.  Even  the  most  trivial  things  you  do 
are  done  invariably  in  the  spirit  of  faith.  This  is 
very  important,  because  by  training  yourself  to  be 
at  your  best  in  little  things  it  soon  becomes  second 
nature  for  you  to  be  your  best  in  all  things,  and 
when  you  are  called  upon  to  do  something  of  ex- 
ceptional importance,  something  that  may  seem  very 


206  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

difficult,  you  do  not  fall  down;  you  are  fully  equal 
to  the  occasion.  The  more  we  exercise  faith  the 
more  it  develops;  it  is  therefore  profitable  to  use 
faith  at  all  times  and  in  everything  that  we  do. 

When  we  know  that  faith  is  that  something  that 
takes  mind  into  the  superior  side  of  life  and  thus 
places  in  action  superior  powers  it  is  not  difficult 
to  understand  how  to  proceed  when  we  place  our- 
selves in  faith.  As  we  think  more  and  more  of  this 
higher  side  of  our  nature,  this  better  side,  this  won- 
derful side,  we  gradually  become  conscious  of  its  re- 
markable possibilities  and  soon  we  can  feel  the 
power  of  superiority  becoming  stronger  and 
stronger  in  everything  that  we  do  in  mind  or  body. 
To  develop  the  power  of  faith  the  first  thing  to  do 
is  to  train  the  mind  to  hold  attention  constantly  upon 
the  limitless  side  of  life ;  that  is,  to  live  in  the  upper 
story  of  being  and  to  think  as  much  as  possible 
about  the  true  idea  of  faith,  as  well  as  the  interior 
essence  of  faith  itself.  When  you  begin  to  see 
clearly  that  faith  is  this  higher  development  of 
mind,  this  insight  that  leads  to  higher  wisdom, 
greater  power  and  more  abundant  life,  you  actually 
find  yourself  entering  into  the  realization  of  those 
greater  things  whenever  you  think  of  faith.  By 
concentrating  your  attention  upon  the  inner  mean- 
ing of  faith  your  mind  becomes  clearer,  your  facul- 
ties become  stronger  and  your  entire  being  feels 
the  presence  of  more  life ;  and  that  you  can  do  much 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  207 

better  work  while  in  this  condition  is  too  evident  to 
require  any  more  elucidation.  While  in  the  attitude 
of  faith  you  cannot  only  do  your  present  work  better, 
but  you  will  steadily  develop  the  ability  and  the 
capacity  to  do  more  difficult  work— work  that  will 
prove  more  useful  to  the  community  and  more  re- 
munerative to  yourself.  The  world  wants  every- 
thing well  done  and  is  more  than  willing  to  pay  for 
good  work.  We  are  all  seeking  the  best  and  the  ma- 
jority aim  consciously  or  unconsciously  to  give 
their  best,  but  without  faith  it  is  not  possible  for 
anyone  to  be  his  best,  give  his  best,  or  do  his  best. 

Do  your  best  and  the  best  will  come  to  you  in 
return.  The  universe  is  founded  upon  justice,  and 
justice  will  positively  be  done  to  you  if  you  have 
faith  in  justice.  Everything  in  life  is  moving  to- 
wards greater  worth,  and  since  justice  is  universal, 
the  greater  the  worth  of  a  man  the  greater  the  value 
of  those  things  that  he  will  receive  in  life.  The 
worthy  soul  is  always  rich  in  those  things  that  have 
real  worth;  and  when  we  learn  to  harmonize  our- 
selves more  fully  with  all  the  laws  of  existence  we 
shall  place  ourselves  in  that  condition  where  we  not 
only  can  give  more  that  has  worth  but  will  also  re- 
ceive everything  of  worth  that  actually  is  our  own. 
Whether  you  are  working  in  the  commercial  world, 
the  professional  world,  the  artistic  world,  the  intel- 
lectual world;  in  brief,  whatever  your  work  may 
be,  to  have  the  best  results  you  must  have  faith,  and 


208  THE  IDEAL  MADE  KEAL 

it  is  practical  results  in  practical  everyday  life  that 
determines  how  rapidly  and  how  perfectly  the  ideal 
shall  be  made  real  in  your  own  world.  Whoever 
will  do  his  present  work  as  well  as  he  possibly  can, 
and  continue  to  work  in  the  highest  attitude  of  faith 
will  positively  advance  and  perpetually  continue  to 
advance.  He  may  not  have  accomplished  much  thus 
far;  but  if  he  takes  this  course,  combining  efficient 
work  with  supreme  faith,  he  certainly  has  a 
splendid  future  before  him. 

If  your  present  work  is  not  to  your  liking  do  not 
plan  to  change  at  once.  First  proceed  with  your 
present  work  in  this  higher  attitude  of  faith.  You 
may  thus  find  your  present  work  to  be  the  very  work 
you  want ;  or  your  present  work,  if  it  is  not  what  is 
intended  for  you,  will  become  the  open  door  through 
which  you  will  reach  that  field  of  action  that  will 
be  to  your  liking,  providing  you  animate  your  pres- 
ent work  with  all  the  faith  that  you  can  possibly  re- 
alize. Make  yourself  the  best  of  your  kind  whatever 
your  sphere  of  action  may  be,  because  by  so  doing 
you  are  not  only  increasing  the  number  of  great 
minds  in  the  world,  but  you  are  adding  immeasur- 
ably to  the  world's  welfare  and  joy;  and  he  who 
combines  his  work  with  limitless  faith  will  become 
the  greatest  and  the  best  in  his  sphere.  In  the  ap- 
plication of  faith,  however,  the  whole  of  attention 
must  not  be  directed  upon  the  improvement  of  your 
work,  but  more  especially  upon  the  improvement  of 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  209 

yourself.  The  more  you  improve  the  better  work 
you  can  do,  but  while  you  are  improving  yourself 
your  improvement  will  be  incomplete  and  insuffi- 
cient unless  you  each  day  practically  employ  in  your 
work  what  you  have  developed  in  yourself.  Give  the 
power  of  every  moment  to  greater  attainment  in 
yourself  and  to  greater  achievement  in  your  present 
occupation,  and  you  will  fulfill  that  dual  purpose 
in  life  that  invariably  leads  to  the  heights.  Develop 
more  power,  more  ability  and  more  faith  and  com- 
bine these  in  everything  that  you  do.  Through  the 
power  of  faith  you  will  not  only  discern  higher  and 
higher  ideals,  but  you  will  also  give  greater  capac- 
ity to  your  practical  ability.  In  other  words,  you 
will  not  only  gain  the  power  to  see  the  ideal,  but  you 
will  gain  the  power  to  practically  apply  what  you 
have  seen;  you  will  make  tangible  in  real  life  what 
the  visions  of  the  soul  have  revealed  in  the  ideal 
life;  and  as  you  grow  in  faith,  so  great  will  this 
power  become  that  there  is  no  ideal  you  cannot  make 
real.  You  will  have  placed  yourself  in  touch  with 
limitless  power— the  power  of  the  Supreme,  and 
therefore  to  you,  all  things  will  become  possible. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE   ART   OF   GETTING   WHAT   IS   WANTED. 

We  frequently  hear  the  statement  "I  never  re- 
ceived what  I  wanted  until  the  time  came  when  I 
did  not  care  for  it  and  did  not  need  it."  This  state- 
ment may  in  most  instances  be  based  upon  an  un- 
guided  imagination,  though  this  is  not  always  the 
case,  because  there  are  thousands  of  people  who  ac- 
tually have  this  very  experience.  They  never  get 
what  they  want  until  the  desire  for  it,  as  well  as 
the  need  of  it,  have  disappeared.  There  may  be  oc- 
casional exceptions,  but  the  rule  is  that  what  we 
persistently  desire  we  shall  sooner  or  later  receive. 
Too  often  it  is  later,  the  reason  being  that  most 
desires  are  purely  personal  and  are  not  inspired  by 
those  real  needs  that  may  exist  in  the  great  eternal 
now.  Mere  personal  desires  are  usually  out  of  har- 
mony with  the  present  process  of  soul-growth,  and 
therefore  there  is  no  supply  in  our  immediate  men- 
tal vicinity  for  what  those  desires  naturally  need. 
This  is  the  reason  why  more  time  is  required  for  the 
fulfilling  of  these  desires,  and  frequently  the  time 
required  is  so  long  that  when  the  desire  is  fulfilled 
we  do  not  need  it  any  more.  When  we  desire  only 

210 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  211 

those  things  that  are  best  for  us  now,  that  is,  those 
things  that  are  necessary  to  a  full  and  complete 
life  in  the  present,  we  shall  receive  what  we  desire 
at  the  very  time  when  those  things  are  needed.  What 
is  best  for  us  now  is  ready  in  the  mental  world  to  be 
expressed  through  us.  Every  demand  has  its  own 
supply  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  and  every  demand 
will  find  or  attract  its  own  supply  without  any  de- 
lay whatever,  but  the  demand  must  be  natural,  not 
artificial. 

The  average  person  is  full  of  artificial  desires— 
desires  that  have  been  suggested  by  what  other  peo- 
ple possess  or  require.  But  the  question  is  not 
what  we  need  now  to  compete  with  other  people  so  as 
to  make  more  extravagant  external  appearances  than 
other  people.  The  question  is,  what  do  we  need  now 
to  make  our  present  life  as  full,  as  complete  and  as 
perfect  as  it  possibly  can  be  made  now.  Ask  your- 
self this  question  and  your  artificial  desires  will 
disappear.  In  the  first  place,  you  will  try  to  ascer- 
tain what  you  are  living  for,  and  what  may  be  re- 
quired to  promote  that  purpose  of  life  that  may 
seem  true  to  your  deeper  thought  on  the  subject. 
In  the  second  place,  you  will  realize  that  since  it  is 
the  present  and  the  present  only  for  which  you  are 
living  you  will  concentrate  your  attention  upon  the 
living  of  life  now.  This  will  bring  the  whole  power 
of  desire  down  upon  the  present  moment  and  engage 
all  the  forces  of  life  to  work  for  the  perfection  of  the 


212  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

present  moment.  The  result  will  be  the  elimination 
of  nearly  everything  that  is  foreign  to  your  present 
state  of  existence. 

To  know  what  to  desire  and  what  to  ignore  in  the 
present  may  seem  to  be  a  problem,  but  it  is  easily 
solved  by  depending  upon  the  demands  of  the  soul 
instead  of  the  demands  of  the  person.  The  desires 
of  the  average  person  are  almost  constantly  col- 
ored or  modified  by  suggestions  from  the  artificial 
life  of  the  world ;  they  are  therefore  not  normal  and 
are  not  true  to  real  life.  The  desires  of  the  soul, 
however,  are  always  true  and  are  always  in  har- 
mony with  the  greatest  good  and  the  highest  wel- 
fare of  the  entire  being  of  man  in  his  present  sphere. 
It  is  the  soul  that  lives;  therefore  the  soul  can  feel 
truly  what  is  necessary  to  fulness  and  complete- 
ness in  present  life.  Real  life  never  lives  for  the 
past  or  for  the  future.  Real  life  lives  now,  and 
therefore  knows  the  needs  of  life  now.  It  is  the 
soul  that  grows  and  develops ;  therefore  the  soul  can 
feel  what  is  required  to  promote  present  develop- 
ment. For  these  reasons  it  is  perfectly  safe  to  fol- 
low the  desires  of  the  soul  and  those  desires  only ;  it 
will  mean  the  best  of  everything  for  body,  mind  and 
spirit,  and  the  right  things  will  appear  in  the  right 
places  at  the  right  time. 

We  live  not  to  acquire  things  nor  to  provide  for 
an  extravagant  personal  appearance.  We  live  to 
become  more  than  we  are.  We  live  to  live  a  larger 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  213 

and  a  greater  life  perpetually;  therefore  every  de- 
sire must  desire  only  those  things  that  are  conducive 
to  growth,  advancement,  attainment  and  superior 
states  of  existence.  The  expression  of  desire,  how- 
ever, must  not  confound  cause  with  effect,  but  must 
so  place  every  desire  that  the  power  of  cause  invari- 
ably precedes  the  appearance  of  effect.  To  promote 
advancement  in  life  we  must  advance  in  our  own  con- 
scious beings  before  true  advancement  in  the  exter- 
nal world  can  follow.  Forced  advancement  is  arti- 
ficial, and  is  detrimental  to  the  permanent  welfare  of 
the  soul.  Do  not  push  the  person  forward.  Live  to 
give  greater  expression  to  the  soul  and  you  will  de- 
velop all  the  power  that  is  necessary  to  push  the  per- 
son forward  towards  any  lofty  goal  you  may  have  in 
view.  Become  more  than  you  are  from  the  within, 
and  external  environments,  demands  and  opportuni- 
ties will  ask  you  to  come  forward.  Thus  you  pro- 
mote true  advancement. 

There  are  a  number  of  people  who  believe  that  to 
follow  the  desires  of  the  soul  is  to  be  led  into  pov- 
erty, and  hardships  in  general,  but  those  who  have 
this  belief  know  practically  nothing  about  the  real 
nature  of  the  soul.  He  who  follows  the  desires  of 
the  soul  will  be  led  away  from  sickness,  trouble  and 
poverty  and  will  enter  into  the  possession  of  the  best 
of  everything,  physical,  mental  and  spiritual.  This 
is  natural,  because  the  ruling  desire  of  the  soul  is  to 
promote  the  attainment  of  greater  power,  greater 


214  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

ability,  a  larger  life,  superior  qualities  and  greater 
capacity  so  that  things  may  be  done  that  are  really 
worth  while.  The  soul  lives  to  unfold  the  limitless 
possibilities  that  are  latent  in  the  within.  There- 
fore, to  live  the  life  of  the  soul  and  follow  the  de- 
sires of  the  soul  is  to  become  greater,  more  able, 
more  competent  and  more  worthy  every  day.  By 
developing  greater  power  in  yourself  you  overcome 
sickness  and  trouble;  and  by  constantly  increasing 
your  ability,  your  talent  and  your  genius  you  pass 
from  poverty  to  abundance,  no  matter  where  you 
may  live  or  what  your  work  may  be. 

The  man  who  lives  to  perfect  his  entire  being  will 
naturally  desire  only  those  things  that  are  conduc- 
ive to  the  growth  and  the  development  that  he  is  try- 
ing to  promote,  and  such  desires  will  be  supplied 
without  delay,  because  they  are  natural,  and  they 
are  in  harmony  with  real  life.  What  life  may  re- 
quire now  that  life  can  receive  now.  This  is  the 
law.  But  every  artificial  desire  that  we  may  hold 
in  mind  interferes  with  the  workings  of  this  law,  and 
since  the  average  person  is  full  of  artificial  desires 
he  usually  fails  to  receive  what  is  needed  to  promote 
the  welfare  of  real  life.  Every  desire  that  is  held 
in  mind  uses  up  energy;  therefore,  if  the  desire  is 
artificial,  all  that  energy  is  thrown  away,  or  it  may 
be  employed  in  creating  something  that  we  have 
no  use  for  when  it  does  come.  It  has  been  very 
wisely  stated  that  a  strong  mind  should  weigh  mat- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  215 

ters  with  the  greatest  of  care  before  uttering  a 
single  prayer,  because  most  of  the  prayers  of  such 
a  mind  are  answered ;  and  should  he  pray  for  some- 
thing that  he  cares  nothing  for  when  it  does  come 
he  will  have  a  burden  instead  of  a  blessing. 

The  majority  are  entirely  too  reckless  about  their 
desires;  they  desire  things  because  they  want  them 
at  the  time,  but  do  not  stop  to  think  whether  the 
things  desired  will  prove  satisfactory  or  not  when 
they  are  received;  and  since  we  usually  get,  sooner 
or  later,  what  we  persistently  desire,  the  art  of 
knowing  what  to  desire  is  an  art,  the  development 
of  which  becomes  extremely  important.  It  is  not 
an  act  of  wisdom  to  pray  for  future  blessings  or  to 
entertain  desires  that  will  not  be  fulfilled  until  some 
future  time.  When  the  future  comes  you  may  have 
advanced  so  far,  or  changed  so  much,  that  the  needs 
of  your  life  will  be  entirely  different  from  what 
they  are  in  the  present.  Let  every  desire  be  just 
for  to-day,  and  let  that  desire  be  prompted  by  the 
ruling  desire  of  your  life;  that  is,  the  desire  to  be- 
come a  more  powerful  personality,  a  stronger 
character,  a  more  brilliant  mind  and  a  greater  soul. 
Live  perpetually  in  the  desire  that  you  will  receive 
the  best  that  life  can  give  to-day,  that  all  things 
will  work  together  for  good  to  you  now,  and  that 
everything  necessary  to  the  promotion  of  your  high- 
est welfare  will  come  in  abundance  during  the  great 
eternal  now.  Make  this  desire  so  strong  that  your 


216  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

heart  and  soul  are  in  it  with  all  the  power  of  life, 
and  let  every  present  moment  be  deeply  inspired 
by  the  very  spirit  of  this  desire.  The  result  will 
be  that  the  best  of  everything  will  constantly  be 
coming  into  your  world,  and  everything  that  may 
be  necessary  to  make  your  life  full  and  complete 
now  will  be  added  in  an  -ever  increasing  abundance. 
In  this  connection  we  must  remember  that  is  not 
best  for  anyone  to  pass  through  sickness,  trouble 
and  misfortune.  When  people  have  misfortune 
they  sometimes  console  themselves  with  the  belief 
that  it  is  all  for  the  best,  but  this  is  not  the  truth; 
though  we  can  and  should  turn  every  adverse  cir- 
cumstance to  good  account.  When  you  come  into 
trouble  you  have  not  been  living  for  the  best.  You 
have  made  mistakes  or  entertained  artificial  desires, 
and  that  is  why  trouble  came.  Had  you  lived  in 
the  faith  that  all  things  are  working  together  for 
good,  nothing  but  good  would  have  come;  and  had 
you  lived  in  the  strong  desire  for  the  best  and  the 
best  only,  you  would  have  received  the  very  best 
that  you  could  appreciate  and  enjoy  now.  The  be- 
lief that  we  have  to  pass  through  trouble  to  reach 
peace  and  comfort  is  an  illusion  that  we  have 
inherited  from  the  dark  ages,  and  the  belief  that 
we  are  purified  through  the  fires  of  adversity  is 
another  illusion  coming  from  the  same  source.  We 
are  purified  by  passing  through  a  perpetual  refin- 
ing process,  and  this  process  is  the  result  of  con- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  217 

sciousness  gaining  a  deeper,  a  higher,  a  truer  and 
a  more  beautiful  conception  of  that  divinity  in  man 
that  is  created  in  the  image  and  likeness  of  the  Su- 
preme ;  and  it  is  well  to  remember  that  this  refining 
process  can  live  and  act  only  where  there  is  peace 
of  mind,  harmony  of  life  and  the  joy  of  the  spirit. 
Higher  states  of  life  do  not  come  by  passing 
through  adversity  but  by  living  the  soul-life  so  com- 
pletely that  you  are  never  affected  by  adversity. 
The  peace  that  passeth  understanding  does  not  come 
from  the  act  of  overcoming  trouble,  but  is  the  prod- 
uct of  that  state  of  mind  that  is  so  high  and  so 
strong  that  it  is  never  moved  by  trouble.  The  great- 
est victory  does  not  come  through  successful  war- 
fare, but  through  a  life  that  is  so  high  and  in  such 
perfect  harmony  with  all  things  that  it  wars  against 
nothing,  resists  nothing,  antagonizes  nothing,  pur- 
sues nothing,  overcomes  nothing.  The  life  that  is 
above  things  does  not  have  to  overcome  things,  and 
it  is  such  a  life  that  brings  real  peace,  true  joy  and 
sublime  harmony.  The  belief  that  we  have  to  fight 
for  our  rights  is  another  illusion;  likewise,  the  be- 
lief that  wrongs  have  to  be  overcome.  The  higher 
law  declares,  be  right  in  all  things  and  you  will  have 
your  rights  in  all  things.  Be  above  all  things  and 
you  will  not  have  to  overcome  anything.  Live  in 
the  spirit  of  the  limitless  supply  and  you  will  not 
have  to  demand  anything  from  any  source,  because 
you  will  be  in  the  life  of  abundance. 


218  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

There  is  value  in  the  silent  demand,  but  it  is  not 
the  highest  thought.  The  highest  thought  is  to 
desire  with  heart  and  soul  whatever  we  may  need 
now,  and  live  in  the  absolute  conviction  that  all 
natural  demands  are  supplied  now;  then  we  shall 
not  have  to  make  any  demands  whatever,  silent  or 
audible.  A  mental  demand  usually  becomes  a 
forced  mental  process,  and  such  a  process,  though 
it  may  succeed  temporarily,  as  all  forced  actions 
do,  will  finally  fail ;  and  when  it  does  fail  the  mind 
will  not  be  as  high  in  the  scale  as  it  was  before. 
The  highest  state  is  pure  realization,  a  state  where 
we  realize  that  everything  is  at  hand  for  us  now  and 
will  be  expressed  the  very  moment  we  desire  its 
tangible  possession.  Here  we  must  remember 
never  to  turn  our  desires  into  mental  demands,  but 
to  make  every  desire  an  inward  soul  feeling  united 
perfectly  with  faith.  The  highest  desire  is  always 
transformed  into  a  whole-souled  gratitude,  even  be- 
fore the  desire  has  been  outwardly  fulfilled,  because 
when  the  desire  is  high  in  the  spirit  of  faith  it  knows 
at  once  the  prayer  will  be  answered,  and  conse- 
quently gives  thanks  from  the  very  depths  of  the 
heart. 

The  prayer  that  is  uttered  through  the  spirit  of 
faith  and  through  the  soul  of  thanksgiving— the 
two  united  in  one,  is  always  answered,  whether  it 
be  uttered  silently  or  audibly.  The  desires  that  are 
felt  in  such  a  prayer  are  inspired  by  the  divinity 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  219 

that  dwells  within  and  are  therefore  true  to  real 
life.  They  are  soul  desires.  They  belong  to  the 
present  and  will  be  fulfilled  in  the  present  at  the 
very  time  when  we  want  them  and  need  them. 
When  we  fail  to  get  what  is  wanted,  our  wants  are 
either  artificial  or  so  full  of  false  and  perverted 
wants  that  the  law  of  supply  is  prevented  from  do- 
ing its  proper  work  for  us.  Under  such  conditions 
it  is  necessary  to  ask  the  great  question,  "What  am 
I  living  for?"  Then  eliminate  those  desires  that 
are  suggested  by  the  world,  and  retain  only  those 
that  desire  the  highest  state  of  perfection  for  the 
whole  man.  It  is  the  truth  that  when  man  seeks 
first  the  kingdom  of  the  true  life,  the  perfect  life, 
all  other  things  needful  to  such  a  life  will  be  added. 
He  who  desires  more  life  will  receive  more  life,  and 
with  the  greater  life  comes  the  greater  power— that 
power  with  which  man  may  create  his  own  destiny 
and  make  everything  in  his  life  as  he  wishes  it  to 
be.  In  order  to  get  what  is  wanted  or  what  is  needed 
the  usual  process  of  desire  must  be  reversed.  In- 
stead of  desiring  things,  desire  that  greater  life  and 
that  greater  power  that  can  produce  things.  First, 
desire  life,  power,  ability,  greatness,  superiority, 
high  personal  worth,  and  exceptional  spiritual  at- 
tainments. Never  desire  definite  environments, 
special  things  or  certain  fixed  conditions.  Leave 
those  things  to  Higher  Power,  because  when  Higher 
Power  begins  to  act  you  will  receive  the  very  best 


220  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

environments,  the  richest  things  and  the  most  per- 
fect conditions  that  you  can  possibly  enjoy.  Desire 
real  life  first,  and  all  that  is  beautiful  and  perfect 
in  the  living  of  such  a  life  in  body,  mind  and  soul, 
will  invariably  be  added.  Follow  the  desires  of  the 
soul  and  you  will  receive  everything  that  is  neces- 
sary, not  only  for  the  life  of  the  soul  but  for  the  life 
of  mind  and  body  as  well.  Seek  the  Source  of  all 
good  things  and  you  will  receive  all  good  things. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

PATHS   TO   HAPPINESS. 

To  be  happy  is  the  privilege  of  everybody,  and 
everybody  may  be  happy  at  all  times  and  under  all 
circumstances  through  the  knowing  and  living  of 
a  few  simple  principles.  The  reason  why  happiness 
is  not  as  universal  and  as  abundant  as  it  might  be 
is  because  the  majority  seek  happiness  for  itself 
alone.  Happiness  is  an  effect.  It  comes  from  a 
definite  cause.  Therefore,  if  we  would  obtain  hap- 
piness we  must  not  seek  happiness  for  itself,  but 
seek  that  something  that  produces  happiness.  He 
who  seeks  happiness  directly,  who  desires  happi- 
ness for  the  sake  of  gaining  happiness  or  who  works 
directly  for  the  attainment  of  happiness  will  find 
but  little  real  joy  in  his  life.  To  seek  happiness  is 
to  fail  to  find  it,  but  to  seek  the  cause  of  happiness 
is  to  find  it  in  an  ever  increasing  measure.  Hap- 
piness, however,  is  not  the  result  of  any  one  single 
cause.  It  is  the  result  of  many  ideal  states  of  be- 
ing grouped  together  into  one  harmonious  whole. 
In  brief,  happiness  is  the  result  of  true  being  per- 
fectly lived  upon  all  planes  of  consciousness. 

Happiness  does  not  come  from  having  much,  but 


222  THE  IDEAL  MADE  KEAL 

from  being  much ;  therefore,  anything  that  will  tend 
to  bring  forth  into  tangible  expression  more  and 
more  of  the  real  being  of  man  will  add  to  his  joy. 
To  promote  the  larger  and  larger  expression  of  the 
real  being  of  man;  in  other  words,  to  promote  the 
living  in  the  real  of  more  and  more  of  the  ideal,  a 
number  of  methods  may  be  presented;  but  as  hap- 
piness is  based  upon  simplicity,  methods  for  pro- 
ducing the  cause  of  happiness  must  also  be  based 
upon  simplicity,  therefore  only  those  principles  that 
are  purely  fundamental  need  be  employed.  These 
principles  however  must  not  be  applied  singly.  It 
is  necessary  to  combine  them  all  in  practical  every- 
day living,  and  when  this  is  done,  more  and  more 
happiness  will  invariably  follow.  The  principles 
necessary  to  the  perpetual  increase  of  happiness 
are  as  follows: 

1.  Live  the  simple  life.  The  complex  life  is  not 
only  a  burden  to  existence,  but  is  invariably  an  ob- 
stacle to  the  highest  attainments  and  welfare  of 
man;  and  the  majority,  even  among  those  whose 
tangible  possessions  are  very  insignificant,  are  liv- 
ing a  complex  life ;  but  when  the  average  person  is 
told  to  remove  complexity  from  his  world  and  adopt 
simplicity  he  almost  invariably  destroys  the  beauty 
of  life.  The  art  of  living  a  life  that  is  both  simple 
and  beautiful  is  an  art  that  few  have  mastered, 
though  it  is  by  no  means  difficult.  Most  of  the  life 
that  is  called  simple  is  positively  devoid  of  beauty 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  223 

and  has  nothing  whatever  that  is  attractive  about  it. 
In  fact,  it  is  positively  a  detriment  both  to  happi- 
ness and  advancement.  To  live  the  simple  life  is 
not  to  return  to  primitive  conditions  nor  to  decide 
to  be  satisfied  with  nothing,  or  next  to  nothing.  It 
is  possible  to  live  the  simple  life  in  the  midst  of  all 
the  luxuries  that  wealth  can  buy,  because  simpli- 
city does  not  spring  from  the  quantity  of  possession 
but  from  the  arrangement  of  possession.  The  cen- 
tral idea  in  the  living  of  a  simple  life  is  to  eliminate 
non-essentials.  The  question  should  be,  "Which  of 
the  things  that  are  about  me  do  I  need  to  promote 
the  greatest  welfare  of  my  life?"  To  answer 
this  question  will  not  be  difficult,  because  almost 
anyone  can  determine  at  first  thought  what  is 
needed  and  what  is  not  needed  to  a  complete  life. 
When  the  decision  is  made,  non-essentials  should  be 
removed  as  quickly  as  possible.  True,  we  must 
avoid  extremes,  and  whatever  we  do  we  must  do 
nothing  to  decrease  the  beauty  or  the  harmony  of 
life. 

There  are  a  great  many  things  in  the  world  of 
the  average  person  that  he  simply  thinks  he  needs, 
though  he  knows  that  those  things  never  did  any- 
thing but  retard  his  progress.  It  it  therefore  neces- 
sary to  remove  non-essentials  from  the  mind  before 
we  attempt  to  simplify  our  immediate  surroundings. 
The  simple  life  is  a  beautiful  life,  with  all  burdens 
removed,  and  it  is  only  the  unnecessary  that  is 


224  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

burdensome.  To  live  the  simple  life,  surround 
yourself  only  with  those  things  that  are  directly 
conducive  to  your  welfare,  but  do  not  consider  it 
necessary  to  limit  the  quantity  of  those  things.  Sur- 
round yourself  with  everything  that  is  necessary 
to  promote  your  welfare,  no  matter  how  much  it 
may  be,  although  do  not  place  in  your  world  a  single 
thing  that  is  not  a  direct  power  for  good  in  your 
world.  You  thus  establish  the  harmony  of  simpli- 
city without  placing  any  limitations  whatever  upon 
your  possessions,  your  welfare  or  your  highest  need. 
You  thus  eliminate  everything  that  may  act  as  a 
burden;  and  we  can  readily  understand  that  when 
all  burdens  are  removed  from  life  the  happiness  of 
life  will  be  increased  to  a  very  great  degree. 

2.  Live  the  serene  life.  Be  calm,  peaceful,  quiet 
and  undisturbed  in  all  things  and  at  all  times.  Con- 
fusion and  hurry  waste  energy,  and  it  is  a  well- 
known  fact  that  depression  and  gloom  are  produced, 
in  most  instances,  simply  by  the  energy  of  the  sys- 
tem running  low.  The  serene  life,  if  lived  in  poise, 
will  keep  the  system  brimful  of  energy  at  all  times, 
and  so  long  as  you  are  filled  through  and  through 
with  life  and  energy  you  will  be  full  of  spirit  and 
joy.  Our  saddest  moments  are  usually  the  direct 
results  of  reactions  from  turbulent  thinking  and  liv- 
ing; therefore,  such  moments  will  be  eliminated 
completely  when  thinking  and  living  are  made 
peaceful  and  serene.  It  is  not  necessary  to  live  the 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL  225 

strenuous  life  in  order  to  accomplish  a  great  deal, 
although  on  the  other  hand  it  is  not  quantity  but 
quality  that  we  seek.  Our  object  should  not  be  to 
do  many  things,  but  to  do  good  things.  If  we  can  do 
many  things  that  are  good,  very  well,  but  we  must 
have  quality  first  in  the  mind;  the  quantity  will  in- 
crease as  we  grow  in  capacity,  and  there  is  nothing 
that  promotes  the  increase  of  mental  and  physical 
capacity  more  than  calm,  serene  living.  The  sweet- 
est joys  that  the  mind  can  feel  usually  come  from 
those  deep  peaceful  realizations  of  the  soul  when  all 
is  quiet  and  serene.  Therefore,  to  cultivate  the  habit 
of  living  always  in  this  beautiful  calm  will  invari- 
ably add  happiness  to  happiness  every  day  of  con- 
tinued existence. 

3.  Be  in  love  with  the  world.  He  who  loves  much 
will  be  loved  much  in  return,  and  there  is  nothing 
in  the  world  that  can  give  more  joy  and  higher  joy 
than  an  abundance  of  real  love.  The  selfish  love, 
that  is  only  personal,  and  that  must  be  gratified  to 
be  enjoyed,  gives  but  a  passing  pleasure,  the  re- 
action of  which  is  always  pain.  When  we  love  wiih 
such  a  love  we  are  always  unhappy  when  not  di- 
rectly loved  in  return,  and  the  purely  selfish  love 
never  brings  real  love  in  return.  When  we  love 
everybody  with  the  pure  love  of  the  soul,  that  love 
that  does  not  ask  to  be  loved  in  return  but  loves 
because  it  is  loved,  we  shall  positively  be  loved  in 
return ;  and  not  simply  by  a  few  here  and  there,  but 


226  THE  IDEAL  MADE  KEAL 

by  great  numbers.  To  feel  that  you  are  loved  un- 
selfishly, that  you  are  loved  not  because  anything 
is  expected  in  return,  but  because  the  love  is  there 
and  must  come— to  feel  this  love  is  a  source  of  joy 
which  cannot  be  measured,  and  this  joy  everybody 
can  receive  in  abundance  now.  The  simple  secret 
is  to  love  the  whole  world  at  all  times  and  under 
every  circumstance;  love  everybody  with  heart  and 
soul  and  mean  it,  and  everything  that  happens  to 
you  will  add  both  to  the  pleasure  of  the  mind  and 
to  the  more  lofty  joys  of  the  soul. 

4.  Be  useful.  "Give  to  the  world  the  best  that 
you  have  and  the  best  will  come  to  you/'  Hold 
nothing  back.  If  you  have  something  that  you  can 
share  with  the  world,  let  everybody  have  it  to-day. 
Do  all  that  you  can  for  everybody,  not  because  you 
expect  reward,  but  because  it  is  a  part  of  your  na- 
ture. Be  all  that  you  can  be  and  do  all  that  you 
can  do.  Never  say,  "I  will  do  only  as  much  as  I  am 
paid  for."  Such  an  attitude  has  kept  many  a  per- 
son in  poverty  for  life.  Reward  is  an  effect,  not  a 
cause.  Do  not  place  the  reward  first,  and  the  serv- 
ice second.  Increase  your  service  and  the  reward 
will  increase  in  proportion;  you  will  thus  not  only 
place  yourself  in  a  position  where  you  can  secure 
more  and  more  of  the  good  things  of  life,  but  you 
will  live  in  that  position  where  you  are  bringing 
into  expression  more  and  more  of  the  good  things 
that  exist  in  your  own  life.  And  we  must  remem- 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  227 

ber  that  the  greatest  joy  does  not  come  from  gain- 
ing good  things  from  the  without,  but  from  the  ex- 
pression of  good  things  from  the  within;  and  when 
both  of  these  are  combined  harmoniously  we  shall 
secure  all  the  joys  of  life— the  joys  that  come  from 
the  outer  world  and  the  joys  that  come  from  the 
beauty  and  the  splendor  of  the  inner  world.  To 
combine  these  in  your  life,  be  useful ;  express  your 
best;  be  your  best;  do  your  best.  You  thus  bring 
forth  riches  from  within  and  attract  riches  from 
without.  Give  richly  of  the  best  you  have  and  good 
things  in  an  ever  increasing  number  will  constantly 
flow  into  your  life.  That  deep  soul-satisfaction 
that  comes  to  mind  when  we  have  rendered  valu- 
able service  to  man  is  entirely  too  good  to  be  ig- 
nored; it  is  one  of  the  deepest  and  highest  joys  that 
man  can  know.  Those  people  who  are  the  most 
valuable  wherever  they  go  are  always  the  happiest, 
and  we  all  can  be  of  service  in  a  thousand  ways; 
therefore,  we  may  add  to  our  happiness  in  just  as 
many  ways,  if  we  will  always  remember  to  be  and 
do  the  best  we  can  wherever  we  may  go  in  the  world. 
5.  Think  and  speak  the  beautiful  only.  Every 
word  or  thought  that  you  express  will  return  to 
you.  Never  say  anything  to  make  others  discour- 
aged or  unhappy;  it  will  come  back  to  yourself. 
He  who  gives  unhappiness  to  others  is  giving  un- 
happiness  to  himself.  He  who  adds  to  the  joys  of 
others  is  perpetually  adding  to  his  own  joy.  You 


228  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

can  say  something  good  about  everybody.  Then 
say  it.  It  will  give  joy  to  everybody  concerned, 
yourself  included.  Think  only  of  the  beautiful  side 
of  everybody.  Everybody  has  a  beautiful  side. 
Find  it  and  think  of  that  only.  You  will  thus  live 
in  the  world  of  the  beautiful,  and  he  who  lives  in 
the  world  of  the  beautiful  is  always  happy.  Speak 
kindly  and  pleasantly  to  everybody;  think  kindly 
and  pleasantly  of  everybody,  and  your  days  of 
gloom  will  be  gone.  When  every  word  is  animated 
with  the  spirit  of  kindness  and  joy,  you  will  not 
only  increase  the  power  of  joy  in  your  own  life,  but 
you  will  be  sowing  the  seeds  of  joy  in  the  garden  of 
the  universal  life;  and  one  of  these  days  you  will 
reap  abundantly  from  what  you  have  sown.  Let  this 
sowing  time  be  continuous  and  the  harvest  will  be 
continuous;  thus  you  will  be  reaping  a  harvest  of 
boundless  joy  every  day  of  your  endless  existence. 

6.  Forgive  and  forget  everything  that  seems  wrong. 
We  have  spent  many  a  weary  day  simply  because  we 
persisted  in  remembering  something  that  was  un- 
pleasant. Forget  the  wrong  and  it  will  disturb  you  no 
more.  Forgive  others  for  what  they  have  done  and 
you  will  have  no  unpleasant  memories  to  cloud  the 
sky  of  your  mental  world.  When  people  speak  un- 
kindly of  you,  never  mind.  Let  them  say  what  they 
like,  if  they  must.  Nothing  can  harm  you  but  your 
own  wrong  thinking  and  living.  If  people  do  not  treat 
you  right  remember  they  would  act  differently  if 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL  229 

they  knew  better,  and  you  know  better  than  to  be- 
come offended.  So  therefore  forgive  it  all  and  re- 
solve to  be  happy.  Forgive  everybody  for  what  is 
not  right  and  forget  everything  that  is  not  conducive 
to  the  right.  You  have  no  time  to  brood  over  ills  and 
troubles  that  exist  only  in  your  memory.  Your 
memory  is  created  for  a  better  purpose.  Remem- 
ber the  good,  the  true  and  the  beautiful ;  this  is  one 
of  the  greatest  secrets  of  perpetual  happiness. 
When  you  forgive  those  who  have  wronged  you, 
you  usually  come  to  a  place  where  you  think  more 
of  those  very  persons  than  you  ever  did  before,  and 
when  you  come  to  that  place  you  will  realize  a  joy 
that  is  far  too  sweet  and  beautiful  for  pen  to  ever 
describe.  It  seems  to  be  a  blessing  coming  direct 
from  heaven  and  it  does  not  go  away.  This  fact 
proves  that  he  who  learns  to  forgive  rises  in  the 
scale  of  life.  He  who  can  forget  and  forgive  the 
wrongs  of  the  lowlands  of  undeveloped  life,  invari- 
ably ascends  to  the  heights,  and  it  is  upon  the 
heights  that  we  find  real  happiness.  Such  is  the 
reward  of  forgiveness.  It  will  therefore  not  be  dif- 
ficult to  forgive  when  we  know  that  the  results  are 
so  rich  and  so  beautiful ;  indeed,  to  forgive  and  for- 
get everything  that  seems  wrong  will  thus  become 
a  coveted  pleasure. 

7.  Be  perfectly  contented  with  the  present.  We 
have  heard  a  great  deal  about  the  value  of  divine 
discontent,  but  discontent  is  never  divine  any  more 


230  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

than  indignation  is  ever  righteous.  Perfect  con- 
tentment is  one  of  the  highest  states  of  the  soul 
and  is  one  of  those  attainments  that  invariably  fol- 
lows ideal  living.  Discontent,  however,  in  any  of  its 
shapes  or  forms,  always  indicates  that  we  are  not 
on  the  true  path.  So  long  as  there  is  discontent 
there  is  something  wrong  in  our  living,  but  the 
moment  this  wrong  is  righted  perpetual  content- 
ment will  be  realized.  If  your  present  lot  is  not 
what  you  wish  it  to  be,  discontent  will  not  make  it 
better.  Be  perfectly  content  with  the  present  and 
create  more  lofty  mansions  for  the  future;  thus 
you  will  not  only  improve  your  condition  every  year, 
but  you  will  be  supremely  happy  every  day.  The  more 
perfect  your  present  contentment  the  more  power 
you  will  have  to  create  for  yourself  a  greater  future, 
and  the  more  mental  light  you  will  have  to  build 
wisely  for  days  to  come.  The  more  contentment 
you  realize  in  your  mind  the  more  brightness  and 
strength  there  will  be  in  your  mind. 

Find  the  good  that  you  already  possess,  then  en- 
joy it.  Better  things  are  even  now  on  the  way  and 
through  the  harmony  of  contentment  you  will  be 
prepared  to  receive  them.  You  will  also  be  in  that 
higher  state  of  mental  discernment  where  you  can 
know  good  things  when  you  see  them.  Many  peo- 
ple are  so  much  disturbed  by  the  discord  of  discon- 
tent that  they  are  unable  to  recognize  the  good  things 
already  in  their  world ;  thus  they  add  doubly  to  the 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  231 

cause  of  discontent.  Contentment,  however,  does 
not  mean  to  be  so  satisfied  with  present  conditions 
that  we  do  not  care  to  change  them.  True  content- 
ment not  only  appreciates  the  full  value  of  the  pres- 
ent, but  also  appreciates  those  greater  powers  in 
life  that  can  perpetually  add  to  the  value  of  the 
present;  therefore,  the  contented  mind  gains  every- 
thing that  life  can  give  in  the  great  eternal  now, 
while  at  the  same  time  perpetually  increasing  the 
richness,  the  worth  and  the  beauty  of  the  great  eter- 
nal now.  To  be  contented,  find  fault  with  nothing. 
Those  things  that  are  not  quite  right  can  be  made 
better.  Proceed  to  make  them  better,  and  one  of  the 
greatest  joys  of  life  comes  directly  from  that  action 
of  life  that  is  causing  things  to  become  better.  The 
process  of  growth  and  advancement  is  invariably 
conducive  to  joy;  therefore,  if  we  cease  finding 
fault,  and  use  all  our  time  in  promoting  improve- 
ment, we  will  find  sources  of  happiness  in  every 
imperfection  that  we  may  meet  in  life.  In  other 
words,  when  we  aim  to  improve  everything  that  we 
meet,  we  bring  out  all  the  good  that  is  latent  in  our 
world,  and  to  increase  the  expression  of  the  good  in 
our  world  is  to  increase  our  own  measure  of  joy. 

8.  Seek  the  ideal.  Look  for  the  ideal  every- 
where; live  in  ideal  environments  when  possible; 
but  if  not  possible  in  an  external  sense  create  for 
yourself  an  ideal  environment  in  the  internal  sense. 
Live  in  ideal  mental  worlds  no  matter  what  external 


232  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

worlds  may  be.  Associate  as  much  as  possible  with 
ideal  people,  and  if  you  are  living  an  ideal  life  in 
your  own  mental  and  spiritual  life,  you  will  attract 
ideal  people  wherever  you  go.  And  one  of  the  great- 
est joys  of  life  is  to  associate  with  those  who  are 
living  in  lofty  realms.  We  have  no  time  to  give  to 
the  common  and  the  ordinary.  We  want  the  best. 
We  deserve  the  best,  and  we  can  secure  the  best  by 
seeking  the  best  and  the  best  only.  Live  your  own 
ideal  life.  Seek  the  ideal  both  in  the  within  and  in 
the  without,  and  aim  to  make  the  ideal  real  in  every 
thought,  word  and  deed;  you  will  thus  cause  every 
moment  to  add  to  your  joy. 

9.  Develop  the  whole  man.  To  promote  an  orderly 
growth  throughout  your  entire  being  is  highly  im- 
portant, and  to  establish  perfect  harmony  of  action 
among  all  the  various  members  of  mind  and  body 
is  indispensable  to  happiness.  Develop  everything 
in  your  nature  and  place  all  the  elements  in  your 
being  in  perfect  harmony.  You  will  thus  ascend  per- 
petually to  higher  states  of  being  and  greater  realms 
of  joy.  Much  of  the  discord  and  unhappiness  that 
comes  into  life  is  the  direct  result  of  one-sidedness 
and  undevelopment,  and  these  can  be  permanently 
removed  only  through  the  orderly  development  of 
the  whole  man.  Body,  mind  and  soul  must  be  per- 
fectly balanced  in  every  sense  of  that  term.  The 
more  perfectly  you  are  balanced  the  greater  will  be 
your  joy,  because  a  balanced  nature  is  conducive  to 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  233 

harmony,  and  harmony  is  conducive  to  happiness. 

10.  Open  the  mind  to  beautiful  thoughts  only.   The 
world  is  full  of  thoughts,  all  kinds  of  thoughts,  but 
only  those  that  are  invited  will  come  to  you.    There 
is  nothing  that  affects  life  more  than  the  thoughts 
we  think;  and  the  thoughts  we  are  to  think  will  de- 
pend almost  entirely  upon  our  mental  attitude  to- 
wards that  which  we  meet  in  life.    When  we  resolve 
to  receive  only  beautiful  thoughts  from  everything 
with  which  we  come  in  contact  the  change  for  the 
better  in  life  will  be  simply  remarkable.    All  things 
will  become  new.    We  will  actually  enter  a  new 
heaven  and  a  new  earth,  and  the  joys  of  existence 
will  multiply  many  times. 

11.  Be  in  touch  with  the  harmony  of  life.    The 
universe  is  full  of  music,  and  happy  is  the  soul  that 
can  hear  the  symphonies  of  heaven;  he  can  find  no 
greater  joy.    Every  soul  that  has  been  in  tune  with 
higher  things  is  familiar  with  that  deep  pleasure 
that  comes  to  mind  when  the  sensations  of  sublime 
harmony  sweetly  thrill  every  fibre  of  being;  and  we 
can  all  so  live  that  we  can  be  in  tune  with  the  music 
of  the  spheres.  When  you  learn  how  to  place  yourself 
in  harmony  with  the  music  of  life  you  may  for  hours 
at  a  time  remain  within  the  gates  of  everlasting  joy, 
and  you  may  enter  into  the  very  life  of  that  sublime 
something  which  eye  has  not  seen  nor  ear  heard. 
It  is  then  that  you  understand  why  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  within  and  why  all  souls  that  have  found 


234  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

that  inner  life  are  radiant  with  joy.  Here  is  happi- 
ness without  measure,  happiness  that  you  may  enjoy 
anywhere  and  at  any  time.  No  matter  what  your 
environments  may  be,  enter  into  these  lofty  realms 
and  you  will  be  the  happiest  soul  in  the  world. 

12.  Consecrate  every  moment  to  the  higher  life. 
The  mind  that  is  ever  ascending  can  never  be  sad. 
Perpetual  ascension  means  perpetual  joy.  The 
happiest  moments  that  come  to  you  are  those 
moments  that  come  when  you  see  yourself  rising 
in  the  scale  of  sublime  existence.  You  are  then 
ascending  to  the  heights.  You  are  entering  into  the 
cosmic  realms— those  realms  where  joy  is  supreme; 
and  one  single  moment  in  that  lofty  realm  gives 
more  happiness  than  we  can  imagine  were  a  million 
heavens  united  in  one.  It  is  in  these  realms  that  we 
enter  the  secret  places  of  the  Most  High,  and  to 
enter  into  that  sublime  state  is  to  gain  all  the  happi- 
ness that  life  can  give  and  have  that  happiness  while 
eternity  shall  continue  to  be. 


CHAPTER  XVHI. 

CHEATING  IDEAL  SUEBOUNDINGS. 

We  all  believed,  not  so  very  long  ago,  that  the 
circumstances  in  which  each  individual  was  placed 
were  produced  by  inevitable  fate,  and  that  the  indi- 
vidual himself  could  not  change  them,  but  would 
have  to  remain  where  he  was  until  something  in  his 
favor  happened  from  external  sources.  What  was 
to  cause  that  something  to  happen  we  did  not  know, 
nor  did  we  give  the  matter  much  thought.  We  be- 
lieved more  or  less  in  chance  and  luck,  and  had  no 
definite  conception  of  the  underlying  laws  of  things. 
But  now  many  of  us  have  changed  our  minds,  as 
we  have  received  a  great  deal  of  new  light  on  this 
most  important  subject.  The  many,  however,  are 
still  in  the  old  belief;  they  are  ignorant  of  the  fact 
that  man  can  create  his  own  destiny,  and  that  fate, 
circumstances  and  environments  are  but  the  products 
of  man  himself,  acting  alone,  or  in  association  with 
others.  But  this  is  the  fact,  and  it  can  be  scientific- 
ally demonstrated  by  anyone  under  any  circum- 
stance. 

This  new  idea  that  man  can  change  his  surround- 
ings or  transport  himself  to  more  agreeable  environ- 

235 


236  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

ments  through  the  use  of  psychological  and  meta- 
physical laws  may  seem  unthinkable  and  far-fetched 
to  a  great  degree;  but  when  we  study  the  subject 
with  care  we  find  that  the  principles,  laws  and 
methods  involved  are  not  only  natural  but  thoroughly 
substantial  and  can  be  applied  in  tangible  every-day 
affairs.  If  the  surroundings  in  which  you  live  are 
not  what  you  wish  them  to  be,  know  that  you  can 
change  them.  You  can  make  those  surroundings 
ideal.  You  can  make  those  surroundings  better  and 
better  at  every  step  in  your  advancement,  thus  mak- 
ing real  higher  and  higher  ideals  in  your  life.  This 
is  a  positive  truth  and  should  be  impressed  so  deeply 
upon  every  mind  that  no  former  belief  on  the  sub- 
ject can  cause  us  to  doubt  our  possession  of  this 
power  for  a  moment.  The  importance  of  thus  im- 
pressing this  fact  upon  the  mind  becomes  very  evi- 
dent when  we  understand  that  no  matter  how  much 
we  may  know,  we  will  have  no  results  so  long  as  we 
are  in  doubt  as  to  whether  what  we  have  undertaken 
is  really  possible  or  not.  There  are  thousands  of 
people  who  believe,  in  a  measure,  that  they  can  bet- 
ter their  own  conditions  and  they  understand  fully 
all  the  principles  involved,  but  they  have  no  satis- 
factory results  because  one  moment  they  believe  that 
the  change  is  possible  while  at  the  next  moment  they 
entertain  doubts.  To  have  real  results  in  any  under- 
taking, especially  in  the  changing  of  one's  surround- 
ings, one  must  believe  with  his  whole  heart  that  he 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  237 

can,  and  he  must  constantly  employ  all  the  necessary 
principles  in  that  conviction.  No  undertaking  ever 
succeeded  that  was  not  animated  through  and 
through  with  the  positive  faith  that  it  could  be  done, 
and  such  a  faith  is  simply  indispensable  if  you  wish 
to  create  ideal  surroundings  for  yourself,  because 
the  process  depends  directly  upon  the  way  you  think. 
You  must  think  that  you  can  so  as  to  fully  annihilate 
the  belief  that  you  cannot.  Know  that  you  can,  and 
in  that  attitude  continue  to  apply  the  necessary 
methods.  Let  nothing  disturb,  your  faith  in  the  pos- 
sibility of  what  you  have  undertaken  to  do  in  this 
respect,  and  you  will  positively  succeed. 

To  create  ideal  surroundings,  the  first  essential 
is  to  gain  a  clear  understanding  of  what  actually 
constitutes  your  surroundings.  The  world  in  which 
you  live  is  a  state  of  many  elements,  factors,  forces 
and  activities.  The  physical  environment  with  all 
its  various  phases  and  conditions  has  been  consid- 
ered the  most  important,  but  this  is  not  necessarily 
true,  because  the  mental  environment  is  just  as  much 
a  part  of  the  world  in  which  you  live  as  the  physi- 
cal. The  term  "world"  is  not  confined  simply  to 
visible  things;  it  also  includes  states  of  mind,  men- 
tal tendencies,  thoughts,  desires,  motives  and  all  the 
different  phases  of  consciousness.  The  place  in 
which  you  live  physically,  the  place  in  which  you 
live  mentally,  the  place  in  which  you  live  morally 
and  spiritually,  these  places  combined  constitute 


238  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

the  world  in  which  you  live.    All  of  these  states  and 
conditions  are  necessary  parts  of  your  surround- 
ings, and  it  is  your  purpose  to  make  these  necessary 
parts  as  beautiful,  as  perfect  and  as  ideal  as  possible. 
The  place  where  you  work  with  your  hands  and 
with  your  brain  is  a  part  of  your  world,  but  the  same 
is  true  of  the  place  where  you  work  in  your  dreams, 
in  your  aspirations  and  in  your  ideals.     The  cir- 
cumstances and  events  of  your  life,  physically  and 
mentally;   the   opportunities    that    are    constantly 
passing  your  way;  the  people  you  meet  in  your  work ; 
the  people  you  think  of  in  your  thoughts;  the  peo- 
ple you  associate  with  and  friends  that  are  near; 
the  various  elements  of  nature,  both  visible  and  in- 
visible ;  the  many  groups  of  things  in  all  their  vari- 
ous phases  that  you  come  in  contact  with  in  your 
daily  living;  all  of  these  belong  in  your  world.    To 
enter  into  details  it  would  be  possible  to  mention 
many  hundreds  of  different  elements  or  factors  that 
compose  the  world  in  which  the  average  person 
lives;  but  to  be  brief  we  can  say   that  your  world 
is  composed  of  everything  that  enters  your  life, 
your  home,  your  experience,  your  thought  and  your 
dreams  of  the  ideal.    All  of  these  play  their  part  in 
bringing  to  you  the  good  that  you  may  desire  or  the 
ills  that  you  may  receive.    Consequently,  since  the 
world  in  which  you  live  is  so  very  complex  and  since 
so  much  of  it  belongs  to  the  mental  side  of  life,  the 
process  of  change  must  necessarily  involve  mental 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  239 

laws,  as  well  as  physical  laws ;  but  here  the  majority 
have  made  their  mistake. 

Many  great  reformers  and  human  benefactors 
have  tried  to  emancipate  the  race  through  the  change 
of  exterior  laws  and  external  conditions  alone,  for- 
getting that  most  of  the  troubles  of  man  and  nearly 
all  of  his  failures  have  their  origin  in  the  misuse 
of  the  mind.  We  all  know  that  mind  is  the  most 
prominent  factor  in  the  life  of  man,  and  yet  this 
factor  has  been  almost  entirely  overlooked  in  our 
former  efforts  to  change  the  conditions  of  the  race. 
Everything  that  man  does  begins  in  his  mind ;  there- 
fore, every  change  that  is  to  take  place  in  the  life 
of  man  must  begin  in  his  mind.  This  being  true,  we 
understand  readily  why  modern  metaphysics  and  the 
new  psychology  can  provide  the  long  looked  for  es- 
sentials to  human  emancipation  and  advancement. 
When  we  examine  all  the  various  things  that  go  to 
make  up  the  world  in  which  we  live  we  may  find  it 
difficult  to  discover  the  real  source  of  them  all.  How 
they  were  produced ;  who  produced  them ;  why  they 
happened  to  come  to  us,  or  why  we  went  to  them; 
these  are  problems  that  we  are  called  upon  to  solve 
before  we  can  begin  to  create  ideal  surroundings. 

To  solve  these  problems  the  first  great  fact  to  re- 
alize is  that  we  are  the  creators  of  our  own  environ- 
ments ;  but  at  first  sight  this  fact  may  not  be  readily 
accepted,  because  there  are  so  many  things  that  seem 
to  be  the  creation  of  others.  There  are  two  kinds  of 


240  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

creation,  however,  the  direct  and  the  indirect.  In 
direct  creation  you  create  with  the  forces  of  your 
own  life,  your  own  thought  and  your  own  actions, 
and  your  own  creations  are  patterned  after  the  ideas 
in  your  own  mind;  but  in  what  is  termed  indirect 
creation  some  one  else  creates  what  you  desire.  It 
is  your  creation,  however,  in  a  certain  sense,  be- 
cause it  was  your  desire  that  called  it  forth.  To 
state  the  fact  in  another  manner,  the  world  in  which 
you  live  may  be  your  own  direct  creation  or  it  may 
be  the  creation  of  another,  but  you  went  into  that 
other  one's  world  to  live.  In  the  majority  of  cases, 
the  world  in  which  the  individual  lives  is  produced 
partly  by  his  own  efforts  and  partly  by  the  efforts  of 
others,  though  there  is  nothing  in  his  world  that  he 
has  not  desired  or  called  forth  in  some  manner  and 
at  some  time  during  his  existence.  There  are  a  num- 
ber of  people  who  are  living  in  worlds  created  al- 
most entirely  by  others;  in  fact,  the  world  of  the 
average  person  is  three-fourths  the  creation  of  the 
race  mind;  but  the  question  is,  why  does  a  person 
enter  into  a  world  that  is  created  by  others;  why 
does  he  not  live  exclusively  in  a  world  created  by 
himself? 

There  are  many  fine  minds  who  are  living  in  the 
world  of  the  submerged  tenth,  but  they  did  not 
create  that  world.  That  inferior  state  existed  long 
before  the  birth  of  its  present  inhabitants ;  but  why 
have  those  gone  to  live  there  who  were  not  born 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  241 

there,  and  why  have  those  who  were  born  there  not 
gone  away  to  some  better  world  of  their  own  su- 
perior creation  I  Why  do  the  people  who  live  in  that 
inferior  world  continue  to  perpetuate  all  its  condi- 
tions? No  world  can  continue  to  exist  unless  the 
people  who  live  in  that  world  continue  to  create 
those  conditions  that  make  up  that  world.  Then 
why  do  not  those  people  who  live  in  the  world  of  the 
submerged  tenth  cease  the  creating  of  that  inferior 
world  and  begin  the  creation  of  the  superior  world 
when  we  know  they  have  the  power  to  do  so  T  These 
are  great  questions,  but  they  all  have  very  simple 
answers.  To  answer  these  questions  the  first  great 
fact  to  be  realized  is  that  the  mind  of  man  is  the 
most  important  factor  in  everything  that  he  does, 
and  since  no  person  can  change  his  environments 
until  he  changes  his  actions  we  realize  that  the  first 
step  to  be  taken  is  the  change  of  mind.  Learn  to 
change  your  mind  for  the  better,  and  you  will  soon 
learn  how  to  change  your  surroundings  for  the  bet- 
ter. Before  you  proceed,  however,  there  is  another 
important  condition  to  be  considered;  it  is  the  fact 
that  a  portion  of  what  is  found  in  our  world  is 
created  by  ourselves,  while  the  rest  is  the  product 
of  those  minds  with  which  we  work  or  live.  In  the 
home  each  individual  contributes  to  the  qualities 
of  the  world  which  all  the  members  of  that  home 
have  in  common,  but  each  individual  lives  in  a  men- 
tal world  distinctly  his  own,  unless  he  is  so  nega- 


242  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

tive  that  he  has  not  a  single  individual  purpose  or 
thought.  When  the  mental  world  of  each  individual 
is  developed  to  a  high  degree  it  will  become  so 
strong  that  the  fate  of  that  individual  will  not  be 
affected  by  the  adverse  conditions  that  may  exist 
in  the  home. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  environments  that  we 
meet  in  our  places  of  work.  No  man  need  be  af- 
fected very  long  by  adverse  surroundings  or  ob- 
stacles that  he  may  meet  in  his  work.  He  will  finally 
become  so  strong  that  he  can  overcome  every  ad- 
versity that  may  exist  in  his  physical  world  and 
thus  gain  entrance  to  better  surroundings.  How- 
ever, we  can  readily  see  how  a  great  deal  of  discord 
can  be  produced  in  a  home  or  in  our  place  of  work 
where  the  different  members  are  not  in  harmony 
with  each  other,  and  we  can  also  understand  how 
the  events,  circumstances  and  conditions  of  all  those 
members,  as  well  as  each  individual  member,  will 
be  affected  more  or  less  by  that  inharmony ;  provid- 
ing however,  that  each  individual  is  not  developing 
that  power  of  his  mental  world  that  can  finally  over- 
come all  adversity.  We  can  also  understand  how 
harmony  and  co-operation  in  a  home  or  in  a  place 
of  work  would  become  a  powerful  force  for  good  in 
the  life  of  each  individual  concerned.  Where  a  few 
are  gathered  in  the  right  attitude  there  immense 
power  will  be  developed ;  in  fact,  sufficient  power  to 
do  almost  anything  that  those  few  may  wish  to  have 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  243 

done.  This  has  been  fully  demonstrated  a  number 
of  times;  therefore,  where  many  minds  are  asso- 
ciated in  the  creation  of  a  world  in  which  all  will 
live,  more  or  less,  these  higher  mental  laws  should 
be  fully  understood  and  most  thoroughly  applied. 

To  enter  a  world  that  does  not  correspond  with 
yourself  and  to  go  in  and  live  where  you  do  not 
naturally  belong  is  to  go  astray,  and  such  an  action 
will  not  only  cause  all  the  forces  and  elements  of 
your  life  to  be  misdirected,  but  you  will  place  your- 
self in  that  position  where  nothing  that  is  your  own 
can  come  to  you.  There  are  vast  multitudes,  how- 
ever, who  have  gone  astray  in  this  manner,  and  that 
is  the  reason  why  we  find  so  many  people  who  are 
misplaced,  who  do  not  realize  their  ideals,  and  who 
have  not  the  privilege  to  enjoy  their  own.  But  we 
may  ask,  why  do  people  go  astray  in  this  manner; 
why  do  we  associate  with  people  that  do  not  belong  in 
our  world;  why  do  we  enter  environments  that  do 
not  correspond  to  our  nature ;  why  do  we  enter  voca- 
tions for  which  we  are  not  adapted,  and  why  do  we 
pursue  plans,  ideas  and  ambitions  that  lead  us  di- 
rectly away  from  the  very  thing  that  our  state  of  de- 
velopment requires!  These  are  questions  that  we 
must  answer,  because  no  one  can  get  the  greatest 
good  out  of  life  or  make  the  most  of  himself  unless 
he  lives  in  a  world  where  he  truly  belongs.  It  is  only 
when  you  live  in  a  world  created  by  yourself  or  in  a 
world  that  others  have  created  in  harmony  with  you 


244  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

that  you  can  be  your  real  self,  and  since  one  must  be 
truly  himself  to  be  wholly  free  and  to  promote  his 
own  advancement  naturally  and  completely  the  sub- 
ject is  of  great  importance. 

There  are  two  reasons  why  we  stray  from  our  own 
true  world  and  enter  worlds  where  we  do  not  belong ; 
first,  because  we  frequently  permit  the  inferior  side 
of  our  nature  to  predominate;  and  second,  because 
we  permit  the  senses  to  guide  us  in  almost  every- 
thing that  we  do.  No  person  who  has  qualifications 
for  the  living  of  life  in  a  superior  world  will  ever 
enter  an  inferior  world  if  he  does  not  permit  inferior 
desires  to  lead  him  into  destructive  paths;  and  no 
person,  no  matter  what  his  work  may  be,  will  go  down 
the  scale  so  long  as  he  follows  the  highest  mental 
and  spiritual  light  that  he  can  possibly  see  during 
his  most  lofty  moments.  Follow  the  highest  and  the 
best  that  is  in  you,  and  you  will  constantly  ascend 
into  higher  and  better  worlds;  all  your  creative 
forces  will  thus  build  for  you  better  and  better  sur- 
roundings, because  so  long  as  you  are  rising  in  the 
scale  everything  in  your  life  in  the  external  as  well 
as  in  the  internal  must  necessarily  improve  continu- 
ously. There  is  no  need  whatever  of  any  person  ever 
entering  an  inferior  world.  No  one  need  pass  into 
environments  and  surroundings  that  are  less  desir- 
able than  the  ones  in  which  he  is  living  now.  In 
fact,  a  person  may  take  the  opposite  course.  En- 
deavor constantly  to  attain  superiority  and  you  will 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  245 

steadily  work  yourself  up  into  superiority,  and  as 
you  become  superior  you  will  find  an  entrance  into 
those  worlds,  those  environments  and  those  sur- 
roundings that  are  superior.  There  is  a  higher 
light,  a  better  understanding  within  yourself  that  will 
guide  you  correctly  in  all  your  associations  with 
people  and  environments.  Do  not  follow  physical 
desires  or  physical  senses;  let  these  be  servants  in 
the  hands  of  higher  wisdom.  Follow  this  higher 
wisdom  and  you  will  make  few  mistakes,  if  any.  You 
will  constantly  pass  into  better  and  better  surround- 
ings, because  you  will  constantly  pass  into  a  higher, 
a  better  and  a  superior  life.  To  follow  the  highest 
and  the  best  that  is  within  you  under  all  circum- 
stances does  not  constitute  supernaturalism,  It  is 
simply  good  sense  enlarged,  and  those  who  take  this 
course  will  continue  to  make  real  the  ideal  in  every- 
thing that  may  exist  in  the  world  in  which  they  live. 
In  consequence,  both  the  mental  world  and  the  phys- 
ical world  in  which  we  live  will  perpetually  change 
for  the  better;  and  all  our  surroundings  will  im- 
prove accordingly,  becoming  more  and  more  ideal 
until  everything  that  exists  about  us  is  as  beautiful 
as  the  visions  of  the  soul. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

CHANGING  YOUR  OWN  FATE. 

When  you  discover  that  you  are  living  in  a  world 
that  you  did  not  create  and  that  does  not  correspond 
with  your  ideals,  there  is  a  tendency  to  break  loose 
from  external  conditions  at  the  earliest  possible  mo- 
ment ;  but  this  tendency  must  be  checked.  Nothing  is 
gained  through  an  attempt  to  change  from  one  world 
of  effect  to  another  world  of  effect  without  first 
changing  the  cause.  The  majority  believe  that  when 
things  are  wrong  in  the  outer  world  the  only  remedy 
is  to  change  external  conditions ;  but  the  fact  is  that 
external  conditions  are  simply  effects  from  internal 
causes,  and  so  long  as  those  internal  causes  remain 
the  same,  no  attempt  to  change  external  conditions 
will  prove  of  permanent  value.  So  long  as  there  are 
adverse  causes  in  your  inner  life  there  will  be  ad- 
verse effects  in  your  outer  life,  no  matter  how  many 
times  you  may  change  from  one  condition  to  another 
or  from  one  place  to  another. 

When  you  begin  to  seek  emancipation  from  the 
false  world  in  which  you  are  living  now;  in  other 
words,  when  you  begin  to  take  positive  measures  to 
change  your  own  fate,  the  first  thing  to  do  is  to  re- 

246 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  247 

solve  not  to  make  any  forceful  effort  to  change  exter- 
nal conditions  without  first  changing  the  inner  cause 
of  those  conditions.  Let  outer  things  be  as  they  are 
for  the  time  being  and  continue  to  remain  where  you 
are  until  you  can  open  a  door  to  better  things ;  but 
while  you  are  waiting  for  this  door  to  open  do  not  be 
idle  in  any  manner  whatever.  Although  you  are  let- 
ting things  be  as  they  are  in  the  external  sense,  and 
although  you  are  not  forcing  yourself  into  different 
places  or  circumstances,  still  your  purpose  must  be 
to  entirely  remake  yourself.  You  came  into  this 
false  state  of  life  because  you  were  misled  by  your 
own  judgment,  and  if  you  should  break  loose,  this 
same  judgment  will  mislead  you  again ;  you  will  thus 
pass  from  one  world  that  is  not  your  own  into  some 
other  world  that  is  not  your  own,  and  there  will  be  no 
improvement  in  the  change.  If  you  have  not  im- 
proved yourself  in  any  manner  whatever,  your  judg- 
ment will  be  just  as  inferior  and  unreliable  as  it  was 
before,  and  no  attempt  to  follow  this  judgment  into 
different  conditions  will  help  matters  in  the  least. 
Your  object  is  not  to  set  yourself  free  from  the  false 
world  in  which  you  are  living  now  and  then  enter 
some  other  world  that  is  not  your  own.  You  are  not 
ready  to  move,  neither  physically  nor  mentally,  until 
you  have  created  a  world  of  your  own  just  as  you 
would  have  it  in  your  present  state  of  development. 
Therefore,  all  thought  of  change  will  but  divert  your 
attention  from  the  real  purpose  in  view.  So  long  as 


248  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

you  are  constantly  thinking  about  external  changes 
your  mind  cannot  concentrate  upon  internal  changes. 
So  long  as  you  are  trying  to  change  external  condi- 
tions you  cannot  change  yourself,  and  as  you,  your- 
self, are  the  cause  of  the  new  world  which  you  are 
trying  to  create,  you  must  recreate  yourself  before 
you  can  create  the  external  world  as  desired. 

To  change  your  fate  begin  with  yourself.  If  the 
environments  in  which  you  live  are  beneath  your 
ideal,  nothing  can  be  gained  by  leaving  those  environ- 
ments until  the  way  is  opened  naturally  to  better 
things.  If  you  simply  get  up  and  leave,  you  will 
gravitate  into  something  -elsewhere  that  will  be  just 
as  uncongenial  as  those  conditions  you  left  behind. 
First,  find  the  reason  why  you  are  living  in  your  pres- 
ent adverse  environments,  then  proceed  to  remove 
that  cause.  There  may  be  many  reasons,  but  in  most 
cases  the  principal  reason  is  a  lack  of  ability  or  the 
lack  of  power  to  apply  the  ability  you  possess.  In 
such  a  case  you  must  remove  inability  by  becoming 
more  proficient,  and  as  soon  as  you  are  competent  to 
render  better  service  you  will  readily  find  a  better 
place.  This  means  larger  remuneration,  and  you 
will  thus  be  able  to  secure  more  desirable  surround- 
ings. The  many,  however,  will  think  that  to  promote 
sufficient  improvement  so  as  to  command  greater 
recompense,  and  do  so  in  a  short  time,  is  practically 
impossible  under  the  average  conditions ;  but  all  dif- 
ficulties that  may  be  met  in  this  connection  may  be 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  249 

readily  removed  through  the  principles  of  modern 
metaphysics. 

Continuous  improvement  in  everything  pertaining 
to  the  life,  the  power,  the  capacity  or  the  mentality 
of  the  individual  can  be  readily  promoted  by  anyone 
and  decided  results  secured  in  a  very  short  time. 
Therefore,  no  person  need  remain  in  adverse  or  lim- 
ited conditions.  He  can,  through  the  awakening  and 
the  expression  of  the  best  that  is  in  himself,  become 
competent  to  take  advantage  of  greater  opportuni- 
ties and  thus  change  his  fate,  his  future  and  his  des- 
tiny. If  you  wish  to  improve  your  physical  environ- 
ments, remain  content  where  you  are  while  you  de- 
velop the  power  to  earn  and  create  better  environ- 
ments. Contentment  with  things  as  they  are  and 
harmony  with  everything  about  you  are  indispens- 
able essentials  if  you  wish  to  increase  your  ability, 
your  capacity  and  your  worth.  To  continue  to  kick 
against  the  pricks  is  to  remain  where  pricks  are 
abundant ;  but  when  we  cease  this  mode  of  action  and 
begin  to  polish  off  all  the  rough  corners  of  our  na- 
ture and  improve  ourselves  in  ever  manner  possible, 
things  will  take  a  turn.  We  will  leave  the  world  of 
pricks  and  enter  a  smoother  path.  The  polished 
man  is  admitted  to  the  polished  world  where  there 
are  no  rough  places  and  where  adverse  conditions  are 
few,  if  existing  at  all. 

When  circumstances  are  against  you,  do  not  con- 
tend with  circumstances.  So  long  as  we  contend 


250  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

with  things,  things  will  contend  with  us.  Do  not  re- 
sist present  conditions ;  you  prolong  their  existence 
by  so  doing.  Whatever  comes,  meet  all  things  in  the 
attitude  of  perfect  harmony  and  you  will  find  that  all 
things,  even  the  most  adverse,  can  be  readily  handled 
and  turned  to  good  account.  We  all  know  the  mar- 
velous power  of  the  man  who  can  harmonize  con- 
tending factions,  be  they  in  his  own  life  or  in  his 
circumstances.  He  not  only  gains  good  from  every- 
thing that  he  meets,  but  he  becomes  a  most  highly 
respected  personage,  and  is  sought  wherever  oppor- 
tunities are  great  and  where  great  things  are  to  be 
accomplished.  Learn  to  harmonize  the  contending 
factions  in  your  own  life  and  experience,  and  you 
will  find  yourself  entering  new  worlds  where  circum- 
stances are  more  congenial  and  opportunities  far 
greater.  You  will  thus  meet  more  desirable  events, 
more  desirable  people,  and  superior  advantages  of 
every  description  will  appear  in  your  pathway.  If 
your  present  friends  are  not  to  your  liking  admire 
them  nevertheless  for  every  good  quality  that  they 
may  possess.  Emphasize  their  good  qualities  and 
ignore  everything  in  their  nature  that  seems  inferior. 
This  will  help  you  to  develop  superior  qualities  in 
yourself ;  and  this  is  extremely  important,  because  as 
you  develop  superiority  you  prepare  yourself  for 
places  higher  up  in  the  scale. 

Make  yourself  over,  so  to   speak,  in  your  own 
friendship;  increase  your   personal   worth;  polish 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  251 

your  own  character ;  refine  your  mind,  and  make  real 
more  and  more  of  the  ideal ;  double  and  treble  your 
love  and  your  kindness  and  constantly  increase  your 
admiration  for  everything  that  has  real  quality  and 
high  worth.  Continue  thus  until  you  have  results, 
whether  those  results  begin  to  come  at  once  or  not; 
they  will  positively  come  ere  long,  and  the  things  that 
you  develop  in  yourself  you  will  meet  in  your  exter- 
nal world.  Change  yourself  for  the  better  in  every 
shape  and  manner,  and  you  change  your  fate  for  the 
better,  but  the  change  that  you  produce  in  yourself 
must  not  simply  be  negative  in  its  action.  It  is  the 
positive  character,  the  positive  mind,  the  positive 
personality  that  meets  in  the  external  world  what 
has  been  developed  in  the  internal  world.  The  fact 
that  a  change  in  yourself  can  produce  a  similar 
change  in  your  fate,  your  environments,  your  circum- 
stances, in  brief,  everything  in  your  outer  world, 
may  not  seem  clear  at  first;  but  it  is  easily  demon- 
strated to  be  the  truth  when  we  analyze  the  relation- 
ship that  exists  between  man  and  the  world  in  which 
he  lives.  Everything  that  exists  in  your  outer  world 
has  a  correspondent  in  your  inner  world.  This  in- 
ner correspondent  is  the  cause  that  has  either  created 
or  attracted  its  external  counterpart,  and  the  proc- 
ess is  easily  understood. 

To  state  it  briefly,  environment  corresponds  with 
ability.  Circumstances  are  the  aggregation  of  events 
brought  about  by  your  own  actions  and  associations 


252  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

and  friends,  which  follow  the  law  of  like  attracting 
like.  That  environment  is  the  direct  effect  of  abil- 
ity may  not  seem  true  when  we  observe  that  there 
are  many  people  living  in  luxury  that  have  practical- 
ly no  ability,  but  we  must  first  demonstrate  that  these 
people  have  no  ability.  We  shall  find  that  those  who 
have  actually  accumulated  their  own  wealth  have 
ability,  in  fact,  exceptional  ability,  though  they  may 
not  always  have  employed  it  according  to  the  exact 
principles  of  justice.  On  the  other  hand,  when  we 
understand  the  process  of  creation  we  shall  find  that 
ability  employed  according  to  principle  will  produce 
far  greater  results  than  when  it  is  employed  unjustly. 
Therefore,  the  law  underlying  the  power  of  ability 
to  create  its  own  environment  acts  wholly  in  the 
favor  of  him  who  lives  according  to  the  highest  ideals 
of  life. 

This  fact  becomes  more  evident  when  we  discern 
that  success  is  not  measured  simply  by  the  accumu- 
lation of  things,  but  also  by  the  accumulation  of  those 
elements  in  life  that  pertain  to  quality  and  worth  in 
man's  interior  nature.  It  is  wealth  in  the  mental 
and  the  spiritual  worlds  that  has  the  greatest 
value  or  the  greatest  power  in  promoting  the  welfare 
and  the  happiness  of  man,  and  this  higher  wealth 
can  be  accumulated  only  by  those  who  are  living  ac- 
cording to  their  ideals.  However,  the  accumulation 
of  mental  and  spiritual  wealth  will  have  a  direct  ten- 
dency to  increase  the  power  and  the  capacity  of 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  253 

practical  ability,  and  practical  ability  when  scientific- 
ally applied  will  tend  to  increase  tangible  wealth; 
that  is,  to  improve  the  value  and  the  worth  of  exter- 
nal environments.  When  we  consider  this  subject 
from  the  universal  view-point  we  shall  find  a  perfect 
correspondent  existing  between  the  size  of  a  man's 
possessions,  physical,  mental  and  spiritual,  and  the 
size  of  his  brains,  taking  the  term  " brains"  to  sig- 
nify ability,  capacity  and  worth  in  the  largest  sense ; 
but  the  size  of  brains  can  be  increased  perpetually. 
We  therefore  conclude  that  possessions  in  the  larger 
sense  can  be  increased  perpetually,  and  he  who  is 
perpetually  increasing  his  possessions  on  all  the 
planes  of  his  life  is  constantly  changing  his  fate  for 
the  better.  We  shall  also  find  that  when  a  person  in- 
creases the  power  of  his  own  life  he  will  bring  about, 
through  his  own  actions,  new  events,  and  these 
new  events  will  produce  new  circumstances. 

To  change  circumstances  is  to  change  fate;  and 
whatever  the  change  may  be  in  fate,  circumstances 
or  events  it  will  be  a  change  for  the  better,  if  the  in- 
crease of  power  is  applied  according  to  the  princi- 
ples of  ideals.  Again,  when  a  person  develops  qual- 
ity and  superiority  in  himself  he  will,  through 
the  law  of  attraction,  meet  friends  and  associa- 
tions that  are  after  his  own  heart.  In  other  words, 
he  will  enter  a  world  where  his  ideals,  both  as  to  per- 
sons and  as  to  things,  are  constantly  being  made  real 
in  every  sphere  of  his  present  state  of  existence.  He 


254  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

is  thus  creating  for  himself  a  better  fate  in  every 
sense  of  the  term  and  opening  doors  and  pathways  to 
a  larger  and  a  more  beautiful  future  than  he  has  ever 
realized  before;  but  the  beginning  is  in  himself ;  in 
fact,  every  change  for  the  better  must  begin  within 
the  life  of  man  himself,  and  whoever  will  begin  to 
change  for  the  better  in  the  within  will  positively 
realize  greater  and  greater  changes  for  the  better  in 
the  without 


CHAPTER  XX. 

BUILDING  YOUR  OWN  IDEAL  WORLD. 

To  build  your  own  ideal  world,  the  first  essential 
is  to  begin  to  build  in  the  real  everything  that  you  can 
discern  in  the  ideal;  and  the  second  essential  is  to 
continue  to  rebuild  your  ideal  world  according  to 
higher  and  higher  ideals.  However  congenial  or 
desirable  or  perfect  our  world  may  be,  we  should 
continue  to  improve  upon  it  constantly.  When  we 
cease  to  promote  progression  we  return  to  the  ways 
of  retrogression.  One  of  the  principal  causes  of  un- 
desirable environments  or  unexpected  reverses 
among  the  more  capable  is  found  in  the  tendency  to 
1 ' stop,  rest  and  enjoy"  what  we  have  gained  when- 
ever conditions  are  fairly  satisfactory.  It  is  the  mind 
that  is  ever  creating  the  new  and  ever  recreating 
everything  according  to  higher  ideals  that  is  always 
free  and  that  is  always  enjoying  the  best.  No  one 
can  be  in  bondage  to  the  lesser  who  is  constantly  ris- 
ing out  of  the  lesser,  and  he  who  is  ever  growing  into 
the  best  is  constantly  enjoying  the  best.  In  the  last 
analysis,  retrogression  is  the  only  cause  of  bondage, 
while  constant  progression  is  the  only  cause  of  per- 
fect freedom;  and  constant  progression  is  promoted 

'  255 


256  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

by  the  continuous  recreation  of  everything  in  your 
world  according  to  higher  and  higher  ideals. 

To  begin,  your  entire  mentality  must  be  changed 
and  constantly  changed  so  as  to  correspond  perfectly 
with  your  newest  thoughts  on  every  subject  and 
your  highest  ideals  of  everything  that  you  can  dis- 
cern in  your  life.  The  mind  is  the  cause  and  is  the 
source  of  every  force  that  can  act  as  a  cause  of  what- 
ever may  be  developed,  expressed  or  worked  out 
through  yourself  into  your  external  world.  There- 
fore, begin  with  the  mind  and  with  all  the  elements 
of  the  mind.  All  desires,  motives  and  ambitions 
must  be  concentrated  upon  the  larger  and  the  per- 
fect in  their  various  spheres  of  action.  All  the  men- 
tal states  must  be  in  harmony  with  each  other,  and 
with  the  outer  as  well  as  the  inner  conditions  of  life. 
All  mental  qualities  must  be  expanded  and  enlarged 
constantly,  and  consciousness  must  be  trained  to  act 
perpetually  upon  the  verge  of  the  limitless.  The  en- 
tire world  of  thought  must  be  perpetually  renewed, 
enlarged  and  perfected,  and  every  step  taken  in  the 
mental  world  must  be  practically  expressed  and  ap- 
plied in  the  outer  world.  In  order  to  bring  all  the 
creative  forces  of  mind  into  harmony  with  the  goal 
in  view  the  ideal  wished  to  be  realized  must  be  thor- 
oughly established  in  consciousness,  and  the  goal  in 
view  must  be  constantly  held  before  the  mental 
vision. 

In  the  rebuilding  of  your  own  world  one  of  the 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  257 

principal  causes  of  failure  will  be  found  in  a  tend- 
ency to  change  in  your  plans,  motives  or  desires; 
therefore,  do  not  permit  yourself  to  entertain  one 
group  of  desires  to-day  and  a  different  group  to- 
morrow, and  do  not  permit  your  faith  to  fall  into 
periodical  states  of  doubt.  Decide  upon  what  you 
wish  to  do,  accomplish,  promote  and  attain,  and  pro- 
ceed to  live,  think  and  work  for  those  things,  regard- 
less of  what  may  happen.  The  powers  within  you 
follow  the  predominating  states  of  mind,  and  when 
these  states  are  constantly  changing,  the  creative 
forces  will  be  employed  simply  in  taking  initial  steps, 
but  never  in  completing  anything.  On  the  other 
hand,  when  your  mental  states,  desires,  motives, 
plans,  etc.,  continue  to  concentrate  upon  the  one  su- 
preme goal  in  view  your  creative  forces  will  per- 
petually build  towards  that  goal,  and  you  will  be 
daily  rebuilding  your  entire  world  according  to  the 
higher,  the  better  and  the  greater  that  you  have  in 
view.  There  are  thousands  of  fine  minds  that  are 
down  in  the  scale  to-day  and  cannot  get  up,  because 
they  are  constantly  changing  their  plans,  motives  and 
desires.  To  create  a  new  world  you  must  fix  in  your 
mind  what  you  wish  to  create,  and  then  continue  to 
build  until  the  complete  structure  is  finished.  Re- 
create your  present  world,  then  constantly  make  it 
better,  larger  and  more  beautiful.  All  the  elements 
of  your  mind,  both  conscious  and  subconscious,  must 
be  constantly  inspired  with  your  highest  thought  of 


258  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

the  larger,  the  better  and  the  more  beautiful.  Not  a 
single  thought  should  enter  your  mind  that  is  inferior 
or  in  the  least  beneath  your  ideal  of  life,  and  not  a 
single  moment  of  discouragement  or  doubt  should 
ever  be  permitted.  Fix  your  mind  on  the  soul's 
vision  and  hold  it  there  through  all  sorts  of  circum- 
stances or  conditions.  Do  not  waver  for  a  moment. 
Keep  the  eye  single  upon  the  heights  and  all  the  pow- 
ers of  your  being  will  build  that  great  world  that  you 
can  see  in  your  mental  vision  as  you  concentrate  at- 
tention upon  the  heights. 

The  mind  must  be  clean,  strong  and  high.  It  is  the 
mind  that  does  things.  It  is  the  mind  that  originates 
things.  Therefore,  if  you  wish  to  build  for  your- 
self an  ideal  world,  the  mind  must  be  ideal  in  every 
sense  of  the  term,  and  every  element  of  the  mind 
must  always  be  its  best  and  act  at  its  best.  To  pro- 
mote the  right  use  of  mind  the  imagination  must  be 
guided  with  the  greatest  of  care.  The  imagination 
is  one  of  the  most  important  powers  in  the  mind. 
The  imagination  when  misdirected  can  produce  more 
ills  than  any  other  faculty,  and  when  properly  di- 
rected can  produce  greater  good  than  any  other  fac- 
ulty. In  fact,  the  imagination  when  scientifically  ap- 
plied becomes  a  marvelous  power  in  the  great  crea- 
tive process  of  the  vast  mental  domain.  Train  the 
imagination  to  picture,  not  only  the  goal  you  have  in 
view  but  all  the  highest  ideals  that  you  can  possibly 
imagine  as  might  exist  within  the  realms  of  that 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  259 

goal.  Train  the  imaging  faculty  to  impress  upon 
the  mind  only  those  superior  qualities  that  you  wish 
to  incorporate  in  your  new  world,  and  whatever  you 
impress  upon  the  mind  will  be  created  in  your  mental 
world.  To  create  superior  qualities  in  the  mental 
world  means  that  you  will  create,  as  well  as  attract, 
the  superior  in  your  outer  world,  and  you  thus  pro- 
mote the  building  of  an  ideal  world. 

To  build  your  own  ideal  world,  the  more  oppor- 
tunities that  you  can  take  advantage  of  the  better, 
but  opportunities  come  only  to  those  who  have  dem- 
onstrated their  worth.  Prove  to  the  world  that  you 
have  worth,  and  you  can  have  your  choice  of  almost 
any  opportunity  that  the  world  can  offer.  There  is 
nothing  that  is  in  greater  demand  than  great  men 
and  women— minds  of  ability  and  power,  people  who 
can  do  things.  The  great  mind  is  constantly  in  the 
presence  of  opportunities  to  change  his  environment 
and  his  field  of  action;  therefore,  he  may  enter  into 
a  new  world  almost  any  time.  Those  opportunities, 
however,  do  not  come  of  themselves ;  they  come  be- 
cause he  has  made  himself  equal  to  those  opportuni- 
ties. Make  yourself  equal  to  the  best  and  you  will 
meet  the  best.  This  is  a  law  that  is  universal  and  is 
never  known  to  fail.  Make  yourself  a  great  power 
in  your  present  sphere  of  action.  Learn  to  do  things 
better  than  they  have  ever  been  done  before.  Pro- 
duce something  for  the  world  that  the  world  wants 
and  the  gates  to  new  and  greater  opportunities  will 


260  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

open  for  you.  Henceforth,  you  may  secure  almost 
anything  that  you  may  wish,  and  all  the  elements 
that  may  be  necessary  for  you  to  employ  in  order  to 
build  the  ideal  world  you  have  in  mind  may  be  read- 
ily obtained  because  you  have  placed  yourself  in 
touch  with  the  limitless  supply  of  the  best  that  life 
can  give. 

Those  who  are  in  search  for  new  and  greater  op- 
portunities should  eliminate  the  belief  that  the  best 
things  have  been  said,  that  all  great  things  have 
been  done  and  that  all  remarkable  discoveries  have 
been  made.  The  fact  is  we  are  just  in  the  A  B  C  of 
literature,  invention,  art,  music,  industrial  achieve- 
ments and  extraordinary  human  attainments.  The 
human  race  is  now  on  the  verge  of  hundreds  of  unde- 
veloped fields  that  have  just  been  discovered,  and 
they  have  more  possibilities  in  store  than  we  have 
ever  dreamed.  Many  of  these  possibilities  when  de- 
veloped will  supply  the  world  with  the  very  things 
that  the  present  development  of  the  race  is  demand- 
ing in  every  expression  of  thought  and  desire.  It  is 
therefore  easier  to  attain  greatness,  and  do  something 
of  exceptional  value  at  the  present  time  than  it  ever 
was  before.  The  opportunities  of  this  age  are  very 
numerous,  and  some  of  them  hold  possibilities  that 
are  actually  marvelous.  Those  who  will  prepare 
themselves  to  meet  the  requirements  of  this  age  will 
therefore  find  a  number  of  rich  fields  already  at  hand, 
and  all  minds  can  prepare  themselves  as  required. 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  261 

Every  person  of  moderate  intelligence  can,  in  a  short 
time,  place  himself  in  the  path  of  some  of  these  new 
opportunities,  and  all  minds  can  find  better  opportu- 
nities in  their  present  spheres  if  they  will  proceed  to 
become  more  than  they  are. 

Train  all  the  elements  of  your  being  to  work  to- 
wards a  higher  goal  and  you  will  bring  forth  into  ex- 
pression those  greater  powers  that  will  make  for  you 
a  mentality  that  the  world  will  demand  for  its  high- 
est places  of  action  and  achievement.  When  you 
proceed  to  build  in  yourself  an  ideal  mental  world— 
a  mental  world  of  power,  ability,  capacity  and  high 
worth  you  will  find  it  necessary  to  adapt  this  mental 
world  to  the  external  world  in  such  a  way  as  to  pro- 
mote harmony  of  action.  The  added  power  of  your 
new  mental  world  must  work  in  harmony  with  your 
external  world  if  practical  results  are  to  be  secured. 
Circumstances  come  from  personal  actions;  there- 
fore, to  change  circumstances,  personal  actions  must 
be  changed,  and  to  change  personal  actions  your 
ideal  mental  life  must  be  expressed  in  your  personal 
life,  and  to  this  end  the  development  of  a  high  degree 
of  harmony  becomes  necessary.  Harmony,  however, 
will  not  only  promote  the  united  action  of  the  inner 
world  with  the  outer  world,  but  will  also  tend  to  elim- 
inate mistakes  from  personal  actions,  and  when  we 
eliminate  mistakes  from  personal  actions  we  will 
cease  to  produce  adverse  circumstances.  When  you 
are  in  perfect  harmony  with  yourself  and  everything 


262  THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL 

you  eliminate  mental  confusion.  You  thus  place 
your  mind  in  that  position  where  you  can  think  clear- 
ly, reason  logically  and  judge  wisely.  The  result  is, 
you  will  do  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time.  The 
elements  of  your  life  will  be  properly  blended,  and 
this  is  necessary  in  order  to  create  an  ideal  world. 

Another  essential  in  the  practical  application  of 
your  ideals  to  real  life  is  the  development  of  what 
may  be  termed  interior  insight.  This  faculty  will 
guide  you  perfectly  in  your  expression  of  the  finer 
things  of  life  through  the  tangible  things  of  life ;  in 
other  words,  you  will  see  clearly  how  to  combine  the 
ideal  with  those  actions  that  are  promoted  for  the 
purpose  of  rebuilding  the  real.  To  combine  the  ideal 
with  the  real  and  make  the  two  one,  we  must  come 
into  the  closest  possible  relationship  with  the  finer 
things  in  life  and  learn  to  use  that  phase  of  mind  that 
is  always  in  a  cleared-up  condition.  The  lower  story 
of  the  mind  is  often  darkened  with  false  conclusions 
about  things,  and  is  frequently  more  or  less  filled 
with  ideas  that  have  been  impressed  through  the 
senses;  but  in  the  upper  story  we  can  see  things  as 
they  are;  we  can  think  clearly,  and  invariably  come 
to  the  right  conclusions.  The  power  to  think  in  the 
upper  story  of  the  mind,  the  cleared-up  side  of  con- 
sciousness where  the  sun  is  always  shining  and 
where  there  are  no  clouds,  is  called  interior  insight. 
This  interior  insight  not  only  discerns  the  ideal,  but 
can  discern  the  practical  possibilities  that  every  ideal 


THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL  263 

may  contain,  and  we  make  the  ideal  real  when  we 
proceed  to  develop  and  apply  in  actual  life  those 
practical  possibilities  that  our  ideals  may  contain. 
Interior  insight  will  also  elevate  all  our  mental  fac- 
ulties and  cause  those  faculties  to  function  with  far 
greater  efficiency.  In  fact,  the  entire  mind  will  be 
lifted  up  into  a  state  of  greater  power,  greater  bril- 
liancy and  greater  ability  for  high  and  efficient  men- 
tal expression. 

To  develop  interior  insight  aim  to  use  conscious- 
ness in  the  discernment  of  what  may  be  termed  the 
spirit  of  all  things.  Do  not  simply  think  of  things 
as  they  appear  on  the  surface,  but  try  to  think  of 
things  as  they  are  in  the  spirit  of  their  interior  exis- 
tence. The  mere  effort  to  do  this  will  develop  the 
power  to  look  through  things  or  to  look  into  things ; 
and  the  growth  of  this  power  promotes  interior  in- 
sight. You  may  thus  discern  clearly  the  real  worth 
and  the  real  possibilities  that  exist  in  the  lofty  goal 
that  you  have  in  view,  and  by  keeping  the  eye  single 
upon  that  lofty  goal,  never  wavering  for  a  moment, 
all  the  powers  of  your  being  will  work  together  and 
build  for  those  greater  things  that  you  can  see  upon 
the  heights  of  that  goal.  Thus  your  entire  world  in 
the  within  as  well  as  in  the  without  will  constantly  be 
recreated  and  rebuilt  according  to  the  likeness  of 
your  supreme  ideals;  in  consequence,  you  will  not 
only  build  for  yourself  an  ideal  world,  but  you  will 
be  building  for  yourself  a  world  that  is  ever  becom- 


264  THE  IDEAL  MADE  EEAL 

ing  mare  and  more  ideal,  and  to  live  in  such  a  world 
is  ideal  living  indeed.  The  world  that  is  ever  becom- 
ing more  and  more  ideal  is  the  world  in  which  to  live, 
and  the  power  to  create  such  a  world  is  now  at  hand 
in  every  human  mind. 


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